History of the Charles Ringling Building

The Charles Ringling Building stands at 1927 Ringling Boulevard Sarasota and reflects the early 20th century development vision of circus magnate Charles Edward Ringling.

Origins and Construction

Charles Ringling (1864-1926), co-founder of Ringling Brothers Circus and his wife Edith settled in Sarasota in 1912. Over the 1920’s, he heavily invested in local real estate and businesses including the Ringling Trust and Svings Bank. in 1924-1925. Ringling purchased the former Gillespie Golf Course Property and developed a business district along Ringling Boulevard. In 1924, he commissioned the architectural firm of Clas, Shepherd and Clas to design a two story steel and concrete commercial building in a Spanish Mediterranean design. The building was named the Charles Ringling Building. The builder was Martin L. Wread. The building was completed in 1926.

Early Use

When it opened , the ground floor housed the Triangular Drug Store and Clarence Saunders Grocery. The second floor served as offices and meeting rooms for Ringling and other business leaders. The Sarasota Herald in 1926 praised Ringling for transforming a sand wasteland into a thrivinng business and residentiao area.

Later History

In December, 1926, Charles Ringling died unexpectedly at his Sarasota home. Many local businesses closed to attend his funeral

In 1930, Saunders Grocery became Barth IGA store and was owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. William Barth. In 1945, the building was sold by Edith Ringling to Dolores Barth, the widow of William. The Barth Family operated the grocery store until 1953. Subsequently, the building hosted a succesion of restaurants and night clubs.

After sitting vacant since January ,2021 when its last tenant Sarasota Sky Bar and Club closed, the three story 11,720 sqyare fiit and three story structure to reopen in late December 2025 as the Venue 1927 Event Center.