The original owner of the Casa Loma castle is Sir Henry Pellatt who was born in Kingston to British parents on Jan 6, 1859. He left his studies at Upper Canada College when he was 17 to pursue a career in commerce in the family business. By the age of twenty-three, Henry became a partner in his father's stock brokerage firm

In 1903 Sir Henry Pellatt purchased 25 lots and hired Canadian architect E. J. Lennox to design Casa Loma – a castle of his dream. The construction began in 1911 when Sir Henry armed with a fortune of $17 million. Construction on the castle was halted because of the start of World War 1. Most of the 3d floor left unfinished. A big pool and three bowling alleys were not completed either. 

Casa Loma was the largest private residence in Canada at 98 rooms. It has an oven large enough to cook an ox. The castle is filled with artwork from Canada and Europe. 

The City of Toronto increased Casa Loma’s annual property taxes from $600 per year to $1,000 a month during the depression that followed World War 1. Sir Henry experienced financial difficulties was forced to sell $1,5 million in art and $250k in furnishing. He lived in the castle for less than ten years and had to leave it in 1923. 

After Sir Henry left Casa Loma it was vacant. Canadian architect William Sparling wanted to convert the castle to a luxury hotel. During the late 1920's, Casa Loma was also a popular nightspot. During World War 2, the castle was used to conceal research on sonar, and for construction of sonar devices. 

In 1933 the City of Toronto seized Casa Loma for $27,303 in back taxes. In 1937 it was leased by Kiwanis Club of Toronto and was opened to the public for the first time as a tourist attraction. In 2011 the City of Toronto decided to resume management of Casa Loma and reached a financial settlement with the Kiwanis Club. Now the City of Toronto is the only owner of Casa Loma.

View Larger Map