Venice circus history would be showcased with proposed circus tent
VENICE, Fla. - As students learn to fly, Tito Gaona’s voice calms and reassures them.
"Take your time, don’t worry about anything. Go, kick it up, kick back, kick forward," he instructed.
Who better to be at the ropes than a world-renowned trapeze artist. For decades, Tito has taught others at his Flying Trapeze Academy off South Ringling Drive in Venice.
"There is nothing like it. It is beyond inspiring from the moment you get here," said Stephanie Spring, a student of Gaona’s.
Tito Gaon’s Flying Trapeze Academy is part of circus history. It is located on the site of Ringling’s former winter home of the circus.
Gaona and his family toured with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s "Greatest Show on Earth."
"Every day a child is born the circus will never die. It’s a tradition. I lived it all my life," said Gaona.
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Now he hopes to make that legacy everlasting.
"I’m just here to continue the legacy," he said.
Gaona wants to build a permanent 57-foot circus tent to house his trapeze academy and performances. The circus tent would cost $1.5 million dollars compared to $18-25 million for a city event center.
It’ll allow seating for up to 1,400 people.
"This will provide a really good place to have his academy no matter the weather conditions and to provide a place for circus performances and private events and lots of things for the community," said Misty Servia the owner of Planner on Call.
The circus tent is part of a project which includes a 56-room boutique hotel, a parking garage, a rooftop restaurant and has the possibility for retail space.
Misty Servia is representing the applicant through the process.
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"My hope is that they will say yes, it does embrace and reflect the city’s history which is in large part the circus history," she said.
It’ll be up to the Venice Historic and Architectural Preservation Board to determine if the circus tent is a right fit for the city.
The board will hear the plans on Thursday morning at 9 a.m.
"To me, it’s about preserving this place and moving forward because Venice can’t stay Venice from the 30s and 40s," said Spring.
If approved, the next step will be to bring the entire campus design back to show the architecture of all the buildings.
Buildings in the area must comply with the city’s Venetian architectural guidelines.
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