Vintage postcard, “Greetings from Sarasota.”
Aerial view of Sarasota Marina and Circus Big
Top.
which had cornered the market on the
traveling circus industry.
John Ringling moved the winter
quarters of their business from Bridgeport,
Connecticut to Sarasota in 1927. At the time,
Sarasota was known only as a quaint Florida
fi shing village nestled on the Gulf of Mexico
with average winter temperatures hovering
between the mid-50s and mid-70s. Ringling
also purchased the island of St. Armands
Key in 1917, envisioning a chic, circular
shopping and leisure district, a vision that is
realized today.
64 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE • May/June • 2021
Sarasota would not be the thriving arts
community it is today if it weren’t for John
Ringling and his vision. It is currently home
to more circus performers than any other
city in the world. With Ringling’s winter
quarters came the trapeze artists, the lion
tamers, the tightrope walkers and the
clowns. Itinerant artists, each in their way,
made their move south in the off-season to
hone their act in Sarasota’s warm weather.
To see the infl uence the Ringling family
had on Sarasota’s history, just take a drive
and you’ll fi nd Ringling Boulevard, the
Charles Ringling Building, the Ringling
Bridge, and the Ringling Museum with all its
history.
Money was no object for John Ringling.
In the early 1900s, John Ringling was
considered to be the fi fth wealthiest
man in America when he and his brother
Charles purchased 67,000 acres of land
that eventually became Sarasota. Originally
viewed as a good investment, the brothers
needed to fi nd a winter home for their
traveling circus performers. What better
place than a paradise by the Gulf of Mexico.
Charles Ringling, lovingly referred to
as “Mr. Charlie” by his employees, was
admired for his generous personality and
love of community. He donated land to the
city for a courthouse and was a proponent
of community development. The estate
purchased by New College of Florida was
John and Mable RIngling built by Charles and his wife Edith.