page_title: History of Sarasota, Florida
section_title: 20th- and 21st-century developments
hierarchical_section_title: History of Sarasota, Florida / 20th- and 21st-century developments
caption_attribution_description: English: Exterior view of the Ringling house in Sarasota, Florida
context_page_description: The area known today as Sarasota, Florida first appeared on a sheepskin Spanish map from 1763 with the word "Zarazote" over present day Sarasota and Bradenton. The municipal government of Sarasota was established when it was incorporated as a town in 1902.
context_section_description: Sarasota was incorporated as a town on the night of October 14, 1902 having a population of 53 residents with John Hamilton Gillespie being sworn in as mayor and a city charter being created. It was later re-platted in 1912 and then incorporated as a city in 1913, with A. B. Edwards being its first mayor as a city.
  Other communities in the area were incorporated or began to grow into towns that were quite distinct from the bayfront community whose plat ended at what is now Tenth Street. They were later absorbed as Sarasota grew, but some have retained their names and are recognized today as neighborhoods. Some communities, such as Overtown, Bay Haven, Indian Beach, Shell Beach, Bee Ridge, and Fruitville have all but faded from the memory of most living there now. Overtown expanded to include what now is designated as the historic Rosemary District and the boundaries of Newtown now merge with that. The Ringling College of Art and Design includes for its administration building, a hotel developed for the community of Bay Haven when Old Bradenton Road was the main thoroughfare north to the Manatee River. Tamiami Trail was developed in the mid-1920s and a bridge across the creek eliminated it as a natural barrier limiting development. Shell Beach became the location where the grand estates would be built on the highest land along the bay as well as where the Sapphire Shores and The Uplands developments are today.
  Another major factor that helped this area grow was the railroad. In 1902, a railroad bridge was built across the Manatee River about 11 miles north. The bridge was built by the West Indies Railroad. Ten years after this in 1912, the first leading to Bradenton was built.
  Two sisters, Katherine McClellan and Daisietta McClellan, became real estate developers during this period. They created the McClellan Park subdivision, which is one of the most significant and successful residential neighborhoods south of downtown. Their plat was filed in 1913. It deviated from the typical grid system used for large developments, created a closely knit community, and provided a yacht basin, tennis courts, and other recreational sport facilities.
  An area in northern Sarasota attracted many of the Ringling brothers, who had created their wealth as circus magnates, around the start of the twentieth century. The Ringling Brothers Circus had not yet consolidated as a single entity.
  Mary Louise and Charles N. Thompson platted Shell Beach in 1895. The Thompson home was the first residence on the property. It extended from what is now Sun Circle almost to Bowlees Creek. From 1911 Mable and John Ringling spent their winter stays in that house and eventually, they would purchase a large parcel of Thompson property for their permanent winter quarters in Sarasota. Along with being a land developer, Thompson was a manager with another circus. He attracted several members of the Ringling family to Sarasota as a winter retreat as well as for investments in land.
  First, the Alf T. Ringling family settled in the Whitfield Estates area with extensive land holdings. The families of Charles and John Ringling followed, living farther to the south. Soon, children and members of the extended family increased the presence of the Ringling family in Sarasota. Following the death of Alf T. in 1919, Charles Ringling assumed many of his duties.
  Charles Thompson had joined the staff of the Ringling Brothers Circus when it began to purchase smaller or failing circuses and to operate them separately. In 1919, these holdings were consolidated into one huge circus, billed as "the greatest show on Earth". Only two of the original five founding brothers now survived, but other members of their families continued to participate in the business or serve on its board of directors.  Ringling Brothers Circus established its winter home in Sarasota in December 1927 as an attempt by John Ringling to boost the local economy, in which he was heavily invested, particularly in real estate development. Performers and staff members began to settle in Sarasota and established the 
caption: Cà d'Zan, Mable and John Ringling's 1925 Sarasota residence, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
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