Ca D'Zan, Part I

Say the words "house tour," and I respond pretty much like Pavlov's dog 

to the ringing of a bell. So it was with great delight that I was

able to take a tour of Ca D'Zan, the Ringling Mansion,

in Sarasota, Florida last week.

When a house cost $1.5 million to build in 1925, you know it's going to

be pretty special. It didn't hurt that Mabel Ringling had

fallen in love with Venice on a trip to Italy and envisioned a house

that looked like a doge's palace. The results do not disapppoint.

The thrills begin when you walk through the garden...

 ...and come around a curve to see an amazing facade crafted of stucco, 

terra cotta, and what must be thousands of beautiful glazed tiles.

 Why, thank you, I'd love to come in. 

 The door hardware is drop-dead gorgeous. 

 As are the wrought iron details.

 Once inside, we were treated to a taste of "Venetian Gothic" style. I would

call this the Downton Abbey of the South, wouldn't you?

 The breakfast room. Look at that green crystal chandelier!

With all that spendor around me, I think my favorite room might have been

the kitchen. I love this simple, elegant tableau (without those darn ropes).

 What a fascinating sink, with that serpentine divider. I do think I might trade in
my farmhouse sink for this one!

There were so many sets of china, I lost count.

This darling decanter had babies.

 For some reason, I became fixated on this elegant blue and white vase as the one item

I would have liked to carry out with me.

It's easy to ask yourself, while being squired around a 36,000-square-foot pile such

as this one, "Who needs all this?" As fate would have it, John and Mabel Ringling

didn't enjoy it for long. Mabel died just three years after the house

was completed, and her husband followed a few years later.

Because of the stock market crash in 1929, John Ringling had 

just $300 at the end of his life. But don't feel sorry for him -- this is just one of the many beautiful houses he lived in while he still had his fortune. At least Mabel had the

good sense to make a graceful exit before the crash.

Next post: the breathtaking terrace on Sarasota Bay, bedrooms, and bathrooms.

(c) 2013 by A Silken Swoon. All rights reserved.