Fountain, historic marker & walking paths.

Mable Ringling Memorial Fountain
Mable Ringling, born Armilda Burton on March 4, 1875, Married John Ringling in 1905 and became a Sarasota winter resident in 1911. Mable, and avid gardener, created the formal CadZan rose garden. In the mid-1920s, she became involved in many community organizations and helped establish the Sarasota Garden Club. As hostess of its first official meeting, Mable presented a short paper on roses and gave a tour of her rose garden. On June 8, 1929, Mable died unexpectedly of acute diabetes, complicated by Addison's disease. In 1935 the Founders Circle decided to install a fountain in Luke Wood Park in her memory. The fountain, flanked by two marble lions commissioned by John Ringling, was encircled by four concrete benches, hibiscus, and bougainvillea. In 2011, the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation undertook the renovation project to excavate the fountain, recreate its missing center statuary, and return the original lions to the park. Original bog iron was unearthed and reattached to the brick stairs and top circumference of the fountain. A community-made brick mosaic that includes four roses was added as a tribute to Mable's love of roses.

Interlocking Love
BOB FETTY
Bronze