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CASA LOMA

© Mary M. Alward

In the early twentieth century, Canadian financier Sir Henry Mill Pellat hired noted architect E.J. Lennox to help him realize a life long dream. Hence, the construction of a medieval castle on the brow of a hill overlooking Toronto, Ontario.

Unlike many homes of that era, the castle was wired for electric power, fitted for a central vacuum system; and had a telephone exchange all its own. There were fifty-nine telephones located at various points throughout the castle. It has been said that more telephone calls were made at Casa Loma in one day than in the entire city. The ovens in the kitchen were large enough that an entire ox could be cooked in them.

Sir Henry was not only a leading Canadian financier, he was a decorated member of the Queen’s Own Rifles. His wealth accumulated through land speculation in the Canadian West before the Pacific Railroad completed its transcontinental extension. Sir Henry also held the monopoly on electric power in Toronto.

Construction of Casa Loma began in 1911 and continued until 1914. Three hundred men were employed to build the castle. The cost was 3.5 million dollars plus another 1.5 million that Sir Henry spent on furnishings.

A series of unsound investments evaporated Sir Henry’s wealth and then, the City of Toronto hit him with a huge property tax bill. In addition, Sir Henry had forty servants to pay and a huge coal bill for heating the enormous castle. In dire straits, Sir Henry auctioned off the valuable furnishings and other material items. His attempts to recoup his losses and keep the castle were to no avail. After occupying the castle for only nine years, Sir Henry signed it over to the city. For many years it sat empty.

In 1937, the Kiwanis Club took over Casa Loma. They restored it and opened it for public tours. Big Band dances were held every Saturday night.

During World War II the Germans bombed the manufacturing plant where ASDIC (the predecessor to the modern day sonar) was made. The operation was then moved to Canada. The Canadian engineer, who was responsible for the relocation, chose Casa Loma because he felt that no one would suspect a freak castle that held dances every Saturday night. No one did. Toronto City councilors were not even aware of what was taking place in the basement of Casa Loma.

When you enter Casa Loma, you step into the Great Hall with its sixty-foot ceilings. Though unfurnished in Sir Henry’s day, you will see a Wurlitzer organ that once graced Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. The oak beamed ceilings and pillars adorned with sculpted figures are the most magnificent room in the castle.