John and Mable Ringling Mansion Ca d' Zan

This is the second blog of four that I will do covering our vist to the John and Mable Ringling Estate. It was just too much to cover in a single blog. The first which is actually in the following blog. The third will preceed this when published and the fourth will be last, but be read first. I guess I should have numbered them in reverse order. Hope you are not too confussed, just read the blog and look at the pictures. I am trying to make this blog interesting.

Ca d' Zan, "The House of John". Having traveled often to Europe, John and Mable came to appreciate the finer pleasures of the continent's dazzling architecture and design. In 1924 they commissioned New York architect Dwight James Baum to build their dream house. Ca d' Zan may translate from the Venetian dialect into "The House of John," the project was always listed on Baum's plans as "the home of Mrs. John Ringling," and Mable was the principal contact for much of the construction and decoration of the interior. The Mansion was completed in 1926 and soon become the center of cultural life in Sarasota. Lavish parties were held with orchestras serenading guests from the Ringling yacht and marbled terrace. The mansion is on the 66 acre estate of John and Mable Ringling in Sarasota, Florida.