Ca d'Zan

Cà d'Zan, a Mediterranean Revival mansion in Sarasota, Florida, was the dream home of circus magnate John Ringling and his wife, Mable. Lovers of the Venetian esthetic, the Ringlings chose their building plot overlooking the Gulf of Mexico for its view, which reminded them of the lagoon of their favorite city. The home was commissioned from New York architect Dwight James Baum in 1924, completed in 1926 and restored in 2002. The name of the mansion comes from [http://ringling.org/ca_mansion.asp House of John] in the Venetian dialect.

The original cost to build the home was $1.5 million; adjusting for inflation, the building alone would cost around $16 million in 2006 dollars. [The original cost was mentioned by a docent during a tour of the home.]

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