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Ca’ d’Zan – House of John (and Mable)
In this issue we go behind the velvet ropes with the Curator and Keeper of Ca’ d’Zan, Ron McCarty. As Curator he is in charge of all aspects of the historic mansion, the ongoing restoration of the building, research, display and care for all of the Ca’ d’Zan objects. A 29 year veteran at the John and Mable Museum of Art, Ron supervised and coordinated the $16 million, seven year restoration of Ca’ d’Zan, completed in April 2002. Regarding the restoration Ron shares “I assumed that the furniture was gone. What a treasure trove we found in the storage areas. There were hundreds of pieces of furniture, many missing parts. We found all of the missing parts! There wasn’t a piece of furniture I didn’t touch.” If you spend any time at all with Ron you feel his true devotion and attention to detail at Ca’ d’Zan. It is his home away from home.
[2]Beyond Sarasota, Ron has exposed Ca’ d’Zan to the world. He has worked with national film crews that featured Ca’d’Zan; America’s Castles for PBS Television, 20th Century Fox’s “Great Expectations” and the recent film “The Life and Times of John and Mable Ringling’ created for Public Television, where he plays John Ringling in numerous scenes. He has been featured on three episodes on WEDU public TV, on Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins. The HGTV network has included many segments on the Ca’d’Zan. Most recently the cable station, Wealth TV, featured Ca’d’Zan on a new series called “Palatial Passports.”
Some of the publications Ron has written include; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art; Guide to the Collection in 2008 and “The Work of Dwight James Baum,” for Acanthus Press in 2009. He wrote three chapters for the publication “Gothic Art in the Gilded Age” in 2009. His newest book “Ca’d’Zan: Ringling’s Venetian Palace” was released in August 2010 by the London-based Scala Publications. He has also published a series of essays in the “Grove Encyclopedia of American Art” published by Oxford University Press with a fall release date in 2010. Ron is on the Vetting Committee for the International Palm Beach Fine Arts Fair held every February, serves on the Advisory Board of the Department of Architecture and Interior Design at Florida State University, and organizes summer programs for the Department of Interior Design. A very accomplished, but humble man, he is a true asset to our community.
[3]Restoration is never complete at the 85 year old Ca’ d’Zan. To help preserve the original marble terrace behind Ca’ d’Zan a new area for entertaining was envisioned. Through the philanthropic efforts of Mr. David F. Bolger of Longboat Key, not only was the entertainment area constructed utilizing the same chevron pattern as the terrace, but visitors now can stroll along the bay on a palm lined promenade and take a break at one of the benches on the pathway taking in the view across to Longboat Key. Thank you David for your generous gift.
Next on the restoration list is the heart and soul of Ca’ d’Zan, the Aeolian Pipe Organ. The Aeolian is a Duo-Art model meaning it could be manually played, or played automatically, from music rolls, of which the Ringlings had 440 choices. The Aeolian played long into the night at every gala event the Ringlings hosted. It wasn’t uncommon for John and Mable to bring in an organist from New York City for such occasions.
A symbol of major wealth in the gilded age very few Aeolians remain today. The organ cost $25,000 in 1925, contains 2,289 organ pipes, a main chamber climbing to the third story and second floor echo chambers delivering orchestral sound out to the rear marble bay front terrace. The Aeolian was last played, in partially working condition, sometime in the early 1980’s.
On December 3rd Ca’ d’Zan will host a “Deck the Halls” event to kick off the Holiday Season with a fundraiser for the Ca’ d’Zan Preservation Fund, including the restoration of the Aeolian DuoArt Pipe Organ. The cost is $75 and includes entertainment, tours, hors d’oeuvres, a specialty bar and valet service at the holiday-themed Ca’ d’Zan mansion. Should you be unable to attend and are interested in helping the preservation fund text REALCHARITY to 90210. You may also donate thru the Ringling Museum website, www.ringling.org [4]. Please be sure to indicate Aeolian Restoration on the donation form.
Together we can make some beautiful music!
Ed Bertha
Game room ceiling illustration of John and Mable Ringling painted by Willy Pogany.
Copyright © 2010 REAL Magazine
Links to this article are encouraged
Photography used under license from Giovanni Lunardi Photography
Photography Copyright © 2010 Giovanni Lunardi
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