Ca d'Zan
Encyclopedia
Ca' d'Zan, a Mediterranean Revival residence in Sarasota, Florida
, was the winter home of the American circus owner, developer and art collector John Ringling
and his wife Mable. Lovers of the Venetian aesthetic, the Ringlings chose the site overlooking Sarasota Bay
for its vista, which reminded them of the lagoon of their favorite city.The name of the residence is Venetian
for House of John. The Ringlings had been renting the residence of Mary Louise and Charles N. Thompson on their extensive Shell Beach parcel, and decided to purchase some of the land to build a permanent winter headquarters that would include a residence on the bay and a museum for their extensive art and artifact collection. An art school was planned to abut the museum, but it never was built. Mable's rose garden was the first completed portion of the complex.
Architectural details of the house reflect influences ranging from the Venetian Doge's palace http://www.venice-sights.co.uk/doges-palace.htm to the tower of the first Madison Square Garden in Manhattan
. Items collected by the couple during their international travels were featured in the residence.
The design of the residence was commissioned from New York architect Dwight James Baum
in 1924 and it was built by the Sarasota developer, Owen Burns
. The work was completed in 1926, as the Florida boom collapsed and the bank failures that would lead to the crash of 1929 began. The original cost to build the home was $1.5 million. Adjusting for inflation, that converts to approximately $16 million in 2006 dollars.
In 1982, the residence was listed as a contributing property
to the Caples'-Ringlings' Estates Historic District
, which is on the National Register of Historic Places
. Other contributing properties in the district include the Ellen and Ralph Caples residence, the John and Mable Ringling Museum, the Hester Ringling Landcaster Sandford residence, and the Edith and Charles Ringling residence.
The 1998 film Great Expectations
, directed by Alfonso Cuarón
, had portions filmed at Ca' d'Zan, which served as Ms. Dinsmoor's house, Paradiso Perduto.
The residence was restored in 2002 under the direction of Bill Puig. Most details of the original construction and decoration were restored faithfully except some of the interior color schemes.
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
, was the winter home of the American circus owner, developer and art collector John Ringling
John Ringling
John Nicholas Ringling now is the most well-known of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Brothers Circus to create a virtual monopoly of traveling circuses and helped shape the circus into what it is today.-Early circus life:John was...
and his wife Mable. Lovers of the Venetian aesthetic, the Ringlings chose the site overlooking Sarasota Bay
Sarasota Bay
Sarasota Bay is an estuary located off the west coast of Florida in the United States.The bay and its surrounding area appeared on the earliest maps of the area, being named Zarazote on one dating from the early 18th century...
for its vista, which reminded them of the lagoon of their favorite city.The name of the residence is Venetian
Venetian language
Venetian or Venetan is a Romance language spoken as a native language by over two million people, mostly in the Veneto region of Italy, where of five million inhabitants almost all can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and often well understood outside Veneto, in Trentino, Friuli, Venezia...
for House of John. The Ringlings had been renting the residence of Mary Louise and Charles N. Thompson on their extensive Shell Beach parcel, and decided to purchase some of the land to build a permanent winter headquarters that would include a residence on the bay and a museum for their extensive art and artifact collection. An art school was planned to abut the museum, but it never was built. Mable's rose garden was the first completed portion of the complex.
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Items collected by the couple during their international travels were featured in the residence.
The design of the residence was commissioned from New York architect Dwight James Baum
Dwight James Baum
Dwight James Baum was an American architect most active in New York and in Sarasota, Florida.-Biography:Baum was born in Newville, New York and moved to Syracuse as a young man, eventually graduating from Syracuse University in 1909 with an architecture degree...
in 1924 and it was built by the Sarasota developer, Owen Burns
Owen Burns
Owen Burns was born in Fredericktown in Cecil County on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He was an entrepreneur, banker, builder, and land developer who at one time owned the majority of Sarasota, Florida and developed or built many of its historic structures, developments, roads, seawalls, and...
. The work was completed in 1926, as the Florida boom collapsed and the bank failures that would lead to the crash of 1929 began. The original cost to build the home was $1.5 million. Adjusting for inflation, that converts to approximately $16 million in 2006 dollars.
In 1982, the residence was listed as a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Caples'-Ringlings' Estates Historic District
Caples'-Ringlings' Estates Historic District
The Caples'-Ringlings' Estates Historic District is a U.S. historic district located in Sarasota, Florida. The district is bounded by the Sarasota Bay, US 41, Parkview and North Shore Avenue...
, which is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Other contributing properties in the district include the Ellen and Ralph Caples residence, the John and Mable Ringling Museum, the Hester Ringling Landcaster Sandford residence, and the Edith and Charles Ringling residence.
The 1998 film Great Expectations
Great Expectations (1998 film)
Great Expectations is a 1998 contemporary film adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel of the same name, directed by Alfonso Cuarón and starring Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert De Niro, Anne Bancroft and Chris Cooper. It is known for having moved the setting of the original novel from 1861...
, directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón Orozco is a Mexican film director, screenwriter and film producer, best known for his films Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Y tu mamá también, and A Little Princess.- Early life :...
, had portions filmed at Ca' d'Zan, which served as Ms. Dinsmoor's house, Paradiso Perduto.
The residence was restored in 2002 under the direction of Bill Puig. Most details of the original construction and decoration were restored faithfully except some of the interior color schemes.