Casa Loma
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Casa Loma (Spanish for House on the Hill) is the former home of financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt and a major tourist attraction in Toronto.
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[edit] History
Sir Henry commissioned Canadian architect E.J. Lennox to design Casa Loma with construction beginning in 1911, starting with the massive stables a few hundred feet north of the main building. The stables were used as a construction site for the castle, with some of the machinery still remaining in the rooms under the stables. The house cost approximately $3.5 million and took a team of 300 workers three years to build from start to finish. Upon completion in 1914, at 98 rooms, it was the largest private residence in North America. Notable amenities included an elevator, an oven large enough to cook a steer, two vertical passages for pipe organs, central vacuum, two secret passages in Sir Henry's ground-floor office and three bowling alleys (never completed).
Many of the rooms were left unfinished, and today serve as the Regimental Museum for The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada. Pellatt joined the Regiment as a Rifleman and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the Commanding Officer. He was knighted for his dedication to the Regiment. Later, Pellatt served as the Honorary Colonel and was promoted to Major-General upon retirement.
During the Depression, Toronto increased Casa Loma's annual property taxes from $400 to $1,200, and Pellatt—already experiencing financial difficulties—was forced to auction off $1.5-million in art and furnishings for $250,000 during bankruptcy hearings. Sir Henry was able to enjoy life in the castle for ten years, leaving in 1923.
Vacant while proposals were considered for its future use, architect William Sparling put forward a proposal to convert the house to a luxury hotel in 1925. A long term lease was granted to Sparling to open a hotel within Casa Loma. He began completing the Great Hall and the Billiard Room, areas that Sir Henry had never finished. Sparling planned to add two large wings to the main building, one to the east and to the west, each wing containing 96 full suites and 56 rooms. At an estimated cost of $1 million for each wing, they were never built. The hotel failed in 1929.
During the late 1920s Casa Loma was also a popular nightspot. The Orange Blossoms, later known as Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra, played there for eight months in 1927–1928. Shortly thereafter, they went on tour of North America and became a major Swing Era dance band.
The city seized Casa Loma in 1933 for $27,303 in back taxes.
Contrary to popular belief, Casa Loma has never been an official residence of either the city or the Province of Ontario. In 1937 it was opened to the public for the first time as a tourist attraction operated by the Kiwanis Club of Toronto. Coincidentally, this is the same year that Chorley Park, the Government House of Ontario was closed by the provincial government.
During World War II, Casa Loma was used to conceal research on sonar, and for construction of sonar devices for U-boat detection. The chateau is still operated by the Kiwanis Club. Today it is one of Toronto's most popular tourist attractions.
[edit] Layout
Casa Loma has five acres of gardens. An underground tunnel connects Casa Loma to The Stables (Garage, Potting Shed, Stalls, Carriage Room and Tack Rooms).
[edit] Main floor
- Great Hall
- Library
- Dining Room
- The Conservatory
- Serving Room
- Peacock Alley
- Sir Henry's Study
- Smoking Room
- Billiard Room
- Oak Room
[edit] Second floor
- Sir Henry's Suite
- Sir Henry's Bathroom
- Lady Pellatt's Suite
- Lady Pellatt's Bathroom
- Girl Guides Exhibit
- Guest Suite
- Windsor Room
- Round Room
[edit] Third floor
- The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Museum
- Stairs to Towers
- The Kiwanis Room
- The Garden Room
- Servant's Room
- The Austin Room
[edit] Basement
- Gift Shop (Bowling lanes and shooting range - never completed)
- Castle Café (Gymnasium - never completed)
- Swimming Pool (Never completed)
- Wine Cellar
- Tunnel to Stables
[edit] Stables
- Garage
- Potting Shed
- Stalls
- Carriage Room
- Tack Rooms
[edit] Appointments
Sir Henry imported artisans from Europe to design much of the furniture and other features of the castle, a few of which can be seen in the images below.
[edit] Location
Casa Loma is on Austin Terrace, at the north end of Spadina Road on an escarpment (Davenport Hill) above Davenport Road. Davenport runs along the bottom of the escarpment which was the shoreline of Lake Iroquois, the predecessor of Lake Ontario (coordinates ). Casa Loma affords views down the escarpment and Spadina Avenue into the heart of Toronto.
[edit] Casa Loma in popular culture
Due to its unique architectural character in Toronto, Casa Loma has been a popular location for movies and TV. For example, it has served as a location for movies such as X-Men, Strange Brew, Chicago, The Tuxedo, and The Pacifier. Comic books and children's novels that have used it include the Scott Pilgrim series and Eric Wilson's murder mystery, The Lost Treasure of Casa Loma. It was also temporarily transformed into "Hogwarts" for the release of the 7th Harry Potter book.
[edit] Girl Guiding at Casa Loma
Lady Pellatt frequently invited the Girl Guides to her home. Their first visit was in 1913 when 250 girls and their leaders toured the conservatories, the stables, climbed the circular staircase to the top turret and then were served tea in the Palm Room. In March 1914, Lady Pellatt watched the Guides annual fête from her bedroom window as she was too ill to leave her room. [1] Rallies became an annual event at the house. Guides also skated on the house's curling rink in winter.
[edit] Image gallery
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[edit] See also
- Spadina House
- Parkwood Estate - Simcoe Street, Oshawa
[edit] References
- ^ Fact Sheet Lady Mary Pellatt. Girl Guides of Canada Guides du Canada. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
[edit] External links
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