Monday, June 20, 2011

Winter Quarters #23

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7 comments:

dpowhitetiger said...

You can the girders from the old train barn in the Venice Arena...

Anonymous said...

Wasn't the steel beams from the former grandstand/sail loft saved as well?
Also, was the reason Ringling lost their Sarasota home was because they did not put an ad for the city/county in the program as they had since they moved from Bridgeport?

Anonymous said...

I was told they left Sarasota over a tax issue. The city tried to raise their tax rate and Venice offered a better deal.
Bob Momyer

Chris Berry said...

In the Nov 9, 1959 edition of "The Billboard" Tom Parkinson writes that the Arvida Corporation has "purchased the 160 acre quarters site for $340,000." He adds "The picture now of quarters is one of mechanics offering to buy tools, farmers dickering to buy pieces of canvas and an occasional showman offering to buy special equipment. The deserted shops and storehouses remind one of the stories about Pompeii. But by spring there will be new ranch houses on this land."

charles mathias said...

Did Irvin Field use this property in Sarasota or another after he owned the show? Iam thinking he later moved to the Tampa fairgrounds after the railroad would not up-grade or make improvements to the tracks to the lot in Sarasota.

Chic Silber said...

In 1960 the show moved to the

Venice airport property where the

city of Venice leased the South

East corner for $1 per year & the

Gulf Seminole RR had a siding

on the other side of the South

bridge South of the Venice train

station where the show could

bring the train cars each year

It was this same Railroad that

was the primary reason for the

show leaving Venice

Chic Silber said...

The Venice arena was created out

of many odd elements from the

buildings in the Sarasota WQ

John Mikos the Sarasota County

tax assesor had a lifelong fight

with the show but that was not

the cause for the move

Venice is within Sarasota County