Casa Loma

Casa Loma
The round room below the tower

Casa Loma is one of Toronto’s biggest tourist destinations and has been in operation as a museum since 1937. It is located in the neighbourhood of South Hill just off Spadina Rd., South of St. Clair Ave.

The first plans to construct Casa Loma were in 1911 when eccentric millionaire Sir Henry Pellatt decided to act upon his dream of building a medieval castle. The building cost $3.5 million to build, and took 300 men over 3 years to complete. It was his homage to the castles he had seen in his travels overseas.  Architect E.J. Lennox was called upon to design the castle, equipping it with battle-ready structures and hidden passageways, staying true to the re-creation.

Around the time of World War 1 Sir Henry Pellatt’s business and funds were almost all dried up. He owed millions of dollars to the government and his attempt at a further expansion of Casa Loma plunged him even further into debt. In 1924 Pellatt and his wife moved to their farm house while the fate of his dream castle was decided. After a brief stint as a hotel and a night time hotspot the depression hit and the fate of the castle was once again up for grabs.

Casa Loma curved walls
Curved walls and doors for the round room

The city of Toronto took control of the building in 1933. From 1937 until 2011 the Kiwanis Club of West Toronto operated Casa Loma as a tourist attraction. In 2011 the Casa Loma Corporation was formed to maintain the site as a top tourist destination.

For more on the History of Casa Loma check out the WEBSITE.

One of the most interesting rooms is the round room. It is the room located below the large tower that makes Casa Loma’s look so iconic. The entire room’s finishings are fitted to the round shape of the room, including the door and door frame pictured above.

 oak room
The room intended as Sir Henry’s drawing room. The French oak panels took artisans three years to carve.

We have included some pictures of some of the rooms that you can check out on the tour. Not pictured are several rooms as well as the garden which is only open in the late spring and summer.

Visitors can visit Casa Loma any day of the week from 9:30 am till 5:00 pm for a self-guided tour. Multimedia audio guides make the experience very informative and interesting. Many grand hallways and rooms are up for exploring, as well as heading up to the top of the Tower for the view of downtown.

Guides are available in English, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Italian and Spanish. There is also an audio guide available in American Sign Language and Visual Description.

oak room 2
The room intended as Sir Henry’s drawing room. The French oak panels took artisans three years to carve.

 

 library
Casa Loma Library

 

Casa Loma Conservatory
The Conservatory

 

Dining Room
A Dining Room

 

Bedroom
Sir Henry Mill Pellatt Bedroom

 

casa loma bedroom 2
Sir Henry Mill Pellatt Bedroom

 

Bathroom
Casa Loma Bathroom

 

Casa Loma lady Pellet
Lady Pellatt’s Suite

 

Lady Pellatt rooms
Lady Pellatt’s Suite

 

Casa Loma elevator
First residential elevator – It still works

 

Casa Loma Steps to tower
1 Set of Steps Up to the Tower

 

Casa Loma to the tower
Mid-level up to Tower

 

Casa Loma tower
Top of Tower

 

Casa Loma view from window
View from the window

 

casa loma view facing south
View from the tower window facing South

 

Casa Loma view to Spadina musuem
View of the Spadina Museum from the Tower

 

Casa Loma hidden door
Hidden doorway that only opens with centre light turned on

 

Casa Loma Entrance
Casa Loma Entrance
Casa Loma
Casa Loma

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Joel Levy 2634 Articles
Editor-In-Chief at Toronto Guardian. Photographer and Writer for Toronto Guardian and Joel Levy Photography