Sarasota - A Circus Town by Neria Harish Hebbar, MD

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Travelogues
Sarasota - A Circus Town � 6
An American's Dream Come True

The Circus Museum

Compared to the Art Museum, the Circus Museum is in an ordinary building. It appears like a temporary construction the circus employees would have used for shelter as well as a work shop. However, it contains some of the very interesting circus memorabilia. The props and the clown attires are all preserved here. The coaches and carriages actually used in the circus are refurbished and exhibited. Even the animal cages like those for the tigers and bears are preserved. There are also multitudes of pictures and models amongst the artifacts. A miniature scale model of the Big Top with its three rings including the stables, the living quarters and the dining tents are very interesting. There are also the photographs of the most famous clown of all, Mr. Emmett Kelly Sr., who worked for the circus for fourteen years from 1942 to 1956. He had made a name for himself as the tramp clown, Weary Willy and was identified almost as the mascot of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Emmett Kelly Sr. a.k.a. �Weary Willy�

Gilded, elaborately decorated carriages used in the circus

The Decline and the Resurrection

Ironically, Mable Ringling did not live to see the Art Museum open to the public in 1929. She died before that from complications of Addison�s disease. Though John continued to collect art after her death, it was like losing a supporting limb. He had a brief stint with another marriage that lasted a very short time. As fate would have it, though they both had some wonderful years in the C`a dZan, their stay there also amounted to only few years. First Mable�s death and then the stock market crash followed by the ensuing Great Depression delivered a final death knell to the opulence of the Ringling estates. John lost many of his investments and was unable to maintain the estate and its lavish buildings during the depression. He died in 1936 without any children or heirs. The C`a dZan and the museums along with the Asolo Theater and the vast acreage of lush gardens were bequeathed to the State of Florida.

The grounds remained in disrepair for many decades and slowly deteriorated. However, the museum continued to be open and two years ago the State of Florida restored the buildings to their original glamour and beauty.

A daughter of one of the artists who painted the ceilings of the C`a dZan remembers the glory days of the Ringlings� life in Sarasota. She is blessed with good memory. Though she was a mere child in the 1920�s she is able to remember many details about the mansion�s original design and appearance. She remembers seeing her father lying on his back on the scaffolding painting the wooden ceiling of the Great Hall and Mable�s bedroom ceiling. She lives close to the grounds and apparently is a wealth of information. Her help was sought by the restorers in recreating original splendor of the mansion.

John and Mable who have given so much to Sarasota would be proud of the vision and mastery of the people who were responsible for bringing back the character and life of his beloved estate. This gem on the west coast of Florida with its Art Museum, Venetian Gothic mansion and pristine grounds is worth a visit.

� Neria Harish Hebbar M.D.
March 21, 2004

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