Sarasota’s Ringling Museum just marked a milestone: 25 years of working side by side with Florida State University. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, founded back in 1927 and officially opening its doors in 1932, has always been a local treasure. Generations of Sarasota residents and curious travelers have wandered its halls, getting a genuine sense of the Ringling family’s world.
This partnership with FSU has changed the game for the museum. Over the last quarter-century, FSU has helped breathe new life into the museum’s historic spaces. Restoration projects have brought back the grandeur of the past, and the museum’s collection has grown dramatically. Students from the university get hands-on experience with art and museum work, while visitors benefit from fresher exhibits and better facilities. It’s a win for both the arts and education.
The museum is much more than a tribute to circus history, though you’ll find plenty of that, from vintage train cars to circus memorabilia. It’s also home to an impressive collection of European masterpieces, with works by the likes of Peter Paul Rubens, Marcel Duchamp, and Diego Velázquez. The art alone is worth the visit.
The story starts with John and Mable Ringling’s waterfront mansion, designed by Dwight James Baum and finished in 1926. The Ca’d’Zan, as they called it, the House of John, sprawls across 36,000 square feet, Venetian-inspired, perched right on the bay. When John Ringling died in 1936, he left the estate, the land, and a jaw-dropping art collection to the state of Florida. He wanted to protect his legacy, and he managed it: over 8,000 objects and a $4 million endowment became the foundation of the museum.
In 2000, the Florida Legislature handed stewardship of the property to FSU. Since then, the university has brought in donors, launched major restoration efforts, and helped the museum fulfill its mission to inspire, educate, and entertain. Over the years, the collection has added another 12,500 works, and the Ca’d’Zan itself underwent a $15 million restoration, reviving its Roaring Twenties splendor.
The estate sprawls across 66 acres, with manicured gardens dotted with bronze Roman and Greek sculptures. Step inside and you’ll find not just galleries, but the Historic Asolo Theater, the Chao Center for Asian Art, the Keith D. Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art, the Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion, and of course, the Circus Museum.
That Circus Museum is a time machine; original vehicles and train cars that once carried the show across America are on display, preserving that era for anyone curious about what life was like on the road a century ago.
If you want to see it for yourself, or just learn more about the art, the mansion, and the legacy, swing by the museum’s website. Doors open daily at 10 a.m. and close at 5 p.m.
