It took only three years to build and the original owners lived in it for only ten years but the castle on the hill has stood the test of time.
In 1914 work was completed on Sir Henry Mill Pellatt's dream home, a medieval castle, built on a hill overlooking Toronto, Ontario. Casa Loma was an extraordinary feat. There were 98 rooms, 25 fireplaces, 30 bathrooms, 3 bowling alleys, a 160-foot shooting gallery, a tunnel under the road, which lead to the stables, and the castle had it's own telephone exchange.
Henry Mill Pellatt was born January 6, 1859 in Kingston, Ontario. After finishing school he joined his father's stock brokerage firm. Investments in the Northwest Land Company and CP Railway as well as founding the Toronto Electric Light Company made Pellatt a wealthy man. In 1905 he was knighted for his volunteer service with the Queens Own Rifles.
In 1911 work began on Casa Loma. Pellatt commissioned architect EJ Lennox to design the castle. It included features of the Norman, Gothic and Romanesque styles. The Pellatts filled their home with art from around the world and hosted many grand social events.
Lady Mary Pellatt, who was the 1st commissioner of the Canadian Girl Guides, was frequently confined to a wheelchair. Because of this the castle also included Toronto's first electric elevator in a private home.
Unfortunately for the Pellatts when the economy slumped after World War I Pellatt and Pellatt, now run solely by Sir Henry, went into bankruptcy. The company's 1.7 million dollar debt forced the Pellatts to auction their possessions and abandon their dream home.
In 1924 they moved to their farm in King Township, later that year Lady Pellatt passed away. By the time Sir Henry passed away fifteen years later, on March 8, 1939, his dream home had seen several changes.
William Sparling was granted a long-term lease to Casa Loma by the city of Toronto in 1925. Sparling began work on the unfinished Great Hall and billiard room and turned the castle into a luxury hotel. The hotel failed in 1929.
Casa Loma sat empty throughout the Depression until 1933 when the city of Toronto took ownership for back taxes of $27,303.45. There were many proposed uses for the historic castle, for instance: a high school, a museum or a permanent residence for the Dionne Quintuplets. None were feasible.
In 1936 the Kiwanis Club of West Toronto proposed a tourist site. The city agreed and after extensive renovations the castle was opened to the public in 1937.
Today Casa Loma is financially self-sufficient and is still operated as a tourist site by the Kiwanis Club of West Toronto, which is now known as the Kiwanis Club of Casa Loma.
Sources
sympatico.ca/toweezer/canada/casaloma.htm accessed August 18, 2007
