No longer needing the acreage it had used in Sarasota, Florida, Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus made the decision to relocate its winter headquarters to Venice, Florida in 1960.

     

     Ringling s secured a 30 year lease for a 15 acre undeveloped lot.  This was next to the Venice Air Field. It also had an option for an additional 20 years on the property.

     Rent was set at $1000 a year with adjustments based on the federal cost of living.

     Construction was soon begun on a 55,000 square feet arena with 5,000 seats.   Costs to build the facility was $300,000.  The roof was 35 feet high; building measurement were 160 x 75  feet. There were two 60 foot wings.  There were adjacent structures for staging, wardrobe and costumes.

     On November 29, 1960, a crowd of about 10,000 people gathered at the Seaboard Airline Station to welcome the first arrival of the Ringling Brothers Circus in Venice, Florida.

     The Venice High School Band played and Mayor Symthe Brohard sat atop a new Venice fire truck to lead the parade of officials, performers and animals to the site of the new Circus Winter Quarters.

     For the next 32 years, the circus was the major tourist attraction for Venice.  During these years, the circus underwent many different ownership.

   In 1992, railroad service into Venice was discontinued by the Seminole and Gulf Railroad.  The circus subsequently.abandoned Venice as its winter headquarters.  The arena stood  at the site until 2016 at which time it was demolished

     In September, 2019, the Venice City Council voted to have the former site where the Winter Headquarters of the Ringling Circus was located rezoned to  commercial.  They voted a.lease of 75 years to Michigan developer Kent Jacoby.  It was his tentative plan to build a hotel,  medical office and a restaurant.  This area was to be named Ringling Park.  This project never took place

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