Cà d’Zan, the Ringling Mansion

Cà d’Zan, the 76-year-old winter home of John and Mable Ringling, was restored to its former splendor thanks to a spectacular, $15 million face-lift.

The Venetian-style mansion was designed by New York architect Dwight James Baum in 1924. The great showman's great showplace, an audacious, nationally recognized symbol of Roaring '20s optimism and arguably Sarasota's most historically significant building is located on the grounds of the Ringling Museum.

Cà d’Zan means "House of John" in a Venetian dialect. The 32-room, 15-bathroom mansion reflects the Ringlings' passion for the architecture of Venice, one of their favorite European vacation spots. Mable Ringling wanted her home to resemble a canal-side palazzo.

The Ringlings had no children, but Cà d’Zan still bustled with activity. Seven servants lived in the house, and a menagerie of pets, including a cockatiel, two parrots, a pair of miniature Dobermans and a German shepherd, had free rein of the house.