Planter from first floor https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/planter-college-hall-new-college-3e2b5f2a20c24eb9a82c27665d91c33e

Statue https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/statue-samsung-s7-b1573bee9def47519f18c003132e95fa

History for College Hall

Chronology for College Hall

1899 Ralph C. and Ellen Caples come to Sarasota in December 1899 by horse and buggy for their honeymoon

1909 The Caples purchased a log bungalow from W.H. English in Shell Beach, just north of Indian Beach on Sarasota Bay and invite their friends John and Charles Ringling to visit

1909 John Ringling visits Sarasota

1911 John and Mabel purchase property from Charles Thompson

1912 Charles and Edith Ringling purchase the adjoining property

1912 The three build a 2,000-foot seawall for their properties

1924-26 John and Mabel Ringling hire New York architect Dwight James Baum to design and Owen Burns to build the house known in the architectural plans as “The Residence of Mrs. John Ringling” and today as Ca’ d’Zan

1925-26 Charles and Edith Ringling employ the Milwaukee architectural firm of Clas, Shephard, and Clas to construct the house modeled on 18^th century English architecture, faced with pink Etowah Georgia marble

1926 Charles Ringling dies

1953 Edith Ringling lives in the house until her death

1958 Gerald Collins, a former state legislator, dog and horse track owner and entrepreneur, purchased the house; Hester Ringling Sanford continues living in her home; Mr. and Mrs. Fred S. Wynans of Pennsylvania who renovated the mansion, lived with their large family

1962 Purchase by New College (Hester Ringling home, Cook Hall, purchased in 1966), used for classes and as a dining hall as well as a student center.

1966 Becomes the New College library; the Music Room used for special events, meetings, and performances

1986 Jane Bancroft Cook Library was dedicated; College Hall becomes classrooms, faculty and staff offices

2012 New seawall constructed by New College of Florida

 Here are some explorations of details of that chronology

College Hall is the former resident of Charles and Edith Ringling, a home built in 1926. Charles died in the building within a year of its construction, as reported in the Sarasota Herald on December 4, 1926

In the 21st century there are legends of ghosts in College Hall. See Sarasota Herald-Tribune story from October 2015 from http://ticket.heraldtribune.com/2015/10/30/paranormal-society-checks-mansion-and-new-college-for-spirits/ and Catalyst story from 2010 https://ncfcatalyst.com/new-college-ghost-stories-the-catalyst-investigates/

In 1962, the mansion became College Hall, the central building for the newly opened New College

Then it became the College library

College Hall is now faculty offices (including mine), two classrooms, the music room for performances, the lobby for receptions, and comfortable spaces for lounging and socializing

The Bayfront Seawall https://www.ncf.edu/about/our-campus/sustainability/:

The Charles Ringling mansion and its gravity seawall, constructed in 1925-26, weathered tides and storms for 85 years until the seawall was on the verge of collapse. With funding from the State of Florida, the old seawall was replaced in 2012 to restore the aesthetic of the Ringling Historic District but with more modern materials. In addition to the beautiful balustrade along Sarasota Bay, the restoration includes an intertidal lagoon with a sloping shoreline and additional intertidal habitat, providing New College students and K-12 students who visit our campus better access to studying the natural environment.