World Travel destination to Casa Loma
written by Ken
at Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Casa Loma is now a museum and landmark in uptown Toronto, constructed in the Gothic Revival style. It was originally a residence for financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. Casa Loma was constructed over a three-year period from 1911-1914. The architect of the mansion was E. J. Lennox, who was responsible for the designs of several other city landmarks. In 1903 Sir Henry Pellatt purchased 25 lots from developers Kertland and Rolf. Sir Henry commissioned Canadian architect E.J. Lennox to design Casa Loma with construction beginning in 1911, starting with the massive stables, potting shed and Hunting Lodge a few hundred feet north of the main building.
The Hunting Lodge is a two storey 4,380 square foot house. The house cost approximately 3.5 million dollars and took a team of 300 workers three years to build from start to finish. At 98 rooms, it was the largest private residence in Canada. Notable amenities included an elevator, an oven large enough to cook an ox, two vertical passages for pipe organs, central vacuum, two secret passages in Sir Henry's ground-floor office and three bowling alleys. Most of the third floor was 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.
Casa Loma has five acres of gardens. An underground tunnel connects Casa Loma to the Hunting Lodge and to the Stables Garage, Potting Shed, Stalls, Carriage Room and Tack Rooms. Sir Henry imported artisans from Europe to design much of the furniture and other features of the castle.Casa Loma is on Austin Terrace, at the north end of Spadina Road on an escarpment above Davenport Road. Davenport runs along the bottom of the escarpment which was the shoreline of Lake Iroquois, the predecessor of Lake Ontario. Casa Loma affords views down the escarpment and Spadina Avenue into the heart of Toronto. Stables located at 330 Walmer road and Hunting Lodge at 328 Walmer roads.
