Ringling, John’s residence in Sarasota, Florida, 1931

In the 1920s, John Ringling joined the land boom in Florida and began developing land on the Sarasota Keys, with the intention of transforming Sarasota into a fashionable resort. In 1924, he began construction on a palatial Mediterranean revival mansion in Sarasota; it was called “Ca’ d’Zan,” which means “House of John” in Venetian dialect.