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Florida Homes Summer 2013

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ARCHITECTURALHistory COMMUNITY Left: The Ringling Estate. Top: Peter Paul Rubens' works in Ringling Collection. Below: John Ringling in front of his beloved estate. The Ringmaster's Legacy By Barry Stein O n May 31, 1866, a boy was born in McGregor, Iowa, who would someday grow to be larger than life. John Nicholas Ringling made a profound impact on the world with his "Greatest Show on Earth." It's fitting that his influence on his beloved adopted hometown of Sarasota would be just as impressive. Since the 1920s and for generations that followed, circus fans, real estate investors, artists, performers, students and tourists have been drawn to Sarasota, Florida, thanks to John Ringling. Maybe it was how Ringling started out as a clown that drove his need to be taken seriously. Perhaps it was his appetite for the sensational that would present his larger than life vision. Simply put, he was one of the world's great visionaries and showmen, who saw what others had done and how he could do it better. In 1901, Sarasota officially came to life with the establishment of a post office and electricity lit the town for the first time. While the east coast of Florida was booming with resorts, this picturesque west coast region south of Tampa remained relatively quiet and undeveloped. As others looked to the east coast, Ringling looked west. Typical of Ringling's nature, he saw what others did not and set out to make Sarasota uniquely his own. In the winter of 1907, the Ringling circus purchased the Barnum & Baily show, becoming the largest circus in the 62 | FLORIDA HOMES MAGAZINE

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