Casa Loma in Ontario: Toronto's Fairy Tale Castle

Casa Loma Castle Admission

Casa Loma Exterior

When you visit Casa Loma - Canada's Majestic Castle ' you return to a period of time where elegance and splendor could be viewed in every aspect of a residence.

For an unforgettable adventure, take a trip to see Casa Loma Castle in the North End of Toronto. Filled with all the proverbial castle features like secret passages, huge staircases, elaborate suites, and tall towers, Casa Loma Castle sparks visitors' imaginations about the events that occurred within the walls of its 98 rooms.

Built by Sir Henry Pellat, a Toronto industrialist and financier, Casa Loma was the product of his lifelong dream to live in a castle. It took over 300 workers and $3,500,00 to build the castle over a period of three years, from 1911-1914. Some of the features visitors can see when they come to Casa Loma include the stained glass windows, 21 fireplaces, 800-foot long hidden tunnel, 5-acre labyrinth, mahogany and Spanish tile horse stables, and Norman Tower.

Especially interesting rooms include The Great Hall, the focal point of the castle, with a 70-foot oak-beamed ceiling and 738 panes of glass; the Library, with an ornate herringbone wood floor and the Pellat coat of arms, and which held over 10,000 volumes at one time; and Sir Henry's Suite, a 60-foot by 40-foot bedroom and bathroom with a secret storage area where Sir Henry would keep his confidential documents. Other rooms, some of which contain original Pellat furnishings, are the Conservatory, Servery, Terrace, Study, Billiards Room, Lady Pellat's Suite, and the Carriage House. All floors, trim and room details were built and finished with the finest materials available, including mahogany, walnut, hand-carved French oak, and three kinds of marble (Italian, Carrara and Ontario).

In the 1920s, the heating bills were up to $25,000 a year, taxes were $12,000 a year, and the 40 servants were paid $22,000 a year. The castle ended up being too costly and huge to manage, and is now maintained as a Historical Monument open to thousands of visitors every year.