El Vernona Hotel-John Ringling Hotel, RINGLING BROTHERS
The El Vernona Hotel was a Mediterranean Revival style building designed by Dwight James Baum in 1926 and originally contained about 150 rooms. It featured arched openings, red tile roofing, and light-colored walls that gave the place a warm, classical appearance.
The hotel opened in 1926 and was purchased in 1929 by John Ringling, a famous circus owner and art collector, who renamed it. Following his death in 1936, his family added circus themes to the property, and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 before being demolished in 1998.
After John Ringling's ownership, the hotel became associated with circus themes and reflected its owner's passion for performance art. Acrobats and entertainers performed in the public spaces, creating a venue where hospitality and spectacle merged together.
The hotel stood on North Tamiami Trail in Sarasota and no longer exists, having been demolished in 1998. Visitors interested in the property's history can learn about it through archives, old photographs, and records preserved in the Library of Congress.
The hotel was known for featuring trapeze artists and acrobats performing in its public spaces, particularly during the 1940s and 1950s. This combination of circus performances and hotel services created an unusual attraction for guests and Sarasota residents alike.
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