Charles ringling biography
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The Sarasota legacy of Charles Ringling, the other Ringling brother
Though he played a major role in the family's circus business and Sarasota's 1920s real estate boom, Charles Ringling lived in the shadow of his more famous brother, John.
John Ringling is known today for being the public face of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, "the Greatest Show on Earth," and the namesake of world-renowned art museum and art school, to list but a few.
But lesser-known Charles Ringling left an equally impressive mark on Sarasota. Ringling Boulevard, for instance, is named for him, and not John, and he developed numerous buildings that remain a part of the city's tapestry to this day.
"Truly, the Ringling family members developed so much of what we enjoy today in Sarasota," said Ron McCarty, curator of the John Ringling mansion Cà d'Zan.
When the 1920s took development beyond Sarasota's earliest commercial core, for instance, few builders were more prominent or prolific tha
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Charles Ringling Building
Charles Ringling, along with his wife Edith and their children, helped Sarasota become a dynamic, thriving West Coast community. Born in 1864, he was actively involved in the operation of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
In 1889 he married Edith Conway in Baraboo, Wisconsin. The Ringlings' circus and other business ventures were financially successful., and Charles and Edith established a residence in Sarasota in 1912.
Charles invested heavily in local real estate and also established the Ringling Trust and Savings Bank in downtown Sarasota. During 1924 and 1925 he bought the former Gillespie Golf Course property and laid out a business section along Ringling Boulevard.
In 1924 he commissioned the architectural firm of Clas, Shepherd & Clas, to design his and Edith's million-dollar mansion on their 25-acre estate in north Sarasota.
Clas, Shepherd & Clas also designed this two-story steel and concrete commercial buildi
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Real History With Jeff LaHurd: Beloved bygd many, Charles Ringling left big mark on Sarasota
Of the sju Ringling brothers, only two, Augustus and Henry, did not involve themselves with the circus. The other five – Albert, Alfred T., Otto, Charles and John – formed what would evolve into the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Combined Shows, and it made them wealthy.
It was John and Charles, particularly John, who became synonymous with Sarasota’s successful growth and claim of being the cultural hub of the Gulf Coast.
Charles has not been forgotten, of course, but his contributions to his adopted hometown are overshadowed by John’s many major achievements here.
Of the two men, Charles was bygd far the most liked, both on and off the circus lot. John was a gruff, no-nonsense taskmaster who sometimes berated his performers. According to his long-time personal sekreterare, Richard Fuchs, he was easily given to cursing.
According to John Ringling biographer, David Weeks, circus-man