Casa Loma is Toronto's fairytale castle, a grand medieval-style mansion built on a hilltop overlooking the city. It was the dream of Sir Henry Pellatt, a financier, soldier and visionary who wanted a home worthy of his fortune and his standing. The name "Casa Loma" means "house on the hill" in Spanish, and the castle still crowns its commanding site today.
Construction
The castle was designed by the architect E. J. Lennox, who relished the task of translating Sir Henry's dream, fantasy and study into stone. Construction began in 1911 and the family moved into the completed castle in 1914. The result was a palatial residence of some 98 rooms, with towers, turrets, secret passages and sweeping views over the city and the lake beyond.
Building such a castle was an enormous undertaking. The structure drew on a combination of medieval styles, with readily recognizable Norman and Scottish towers, and influences that some observers read as English, Irish, Italian and Rhenish. To some the palatial mansion was French-baronial, a combination of French Chateau and Scottish Baronial; to another it was a mixture of seventeenth century Scottish Baronial and 20th Century-Fox.
Architecture and Rooms
Inside, the castle was fitted out with the finest materials and the most modern conveniences of its day. Sir Henry's office connected by a stairway to a wine cellar that chilled his collection of more than a thousand bottles of wine, a great number of them Champagne, his drink of preference. The great rooms were designed for entertaining on a grand scale, befitting a man who loved to play host.
Beneath the castle, an 800-foot long tunnel runs diagonally under the western parking lot and roadway, connecting the castle with the heating system and services located in the stables and greenhouses. The stables, completed in 1906 four years before the castle structure was started, were built to go along with the cottage and summer home, and were fitted out with Spanish mahogany and Spanish glazed tiles. Sir Henry's prized white stallion Prince occupied stall No. 1.
Legacy
Sir Henry Pellatt's fortunes did not survive the times, and the castle passed out of his hands. But Casa Loma endured, and today it stands as one of Toronto's most beloved landmarks and a popular attraction. Its rooms, gardens and grounds are open to visitors, and the castle has become a familiar setting for films, television and special events.
This site, King of Casa Loma, is a tribute to Sir Henry Pellatt and the fairytale castle he created. Explore the timeline of Sir Henry Pellatt, take a look at the floor plans and tour of the castle, or discover the basement of Casa Loma with its wine cellar, tunnel and stables.