Casa Loma is an enormous castle in the middle of Toronto, complete with stables, turrets, a shooting gallery, 3 bowling alleys, secret passageways, 98 rooms, 25 fireplaces, and 15 bathrooms. Built from 1911 to 1914, Casa Loma was intended as financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt's residence though he and his wife only lived there for 10 years. Now open to the public, Casa Loma is a popular spot for weddings, parties, and the set for many movies. Can you guess which movies filmed in Casa Loma are shown in the images here? Find out the answer and learn more about the castle below the jump...
The movies filmed at Casa Loma and shown here are "X-Men" (the interior for school for gifted children) and "Chicago." Our favorite room in Casa Loma is the Conservatory, which has steam pipes to keep the flowers warm in the winter. The marble is from Ontario, of course.
Sir Henry Mill Pellatt went bankrupt in the depression, was forced to auction off art and furniture, and later vacated his castle in 1923. Casa Loma was then used as a hotel, a nightclub, and later a homeless shelter. The city of Toronto seized Casa Loma in 1933 for back taxes and in 1937 leased it to the Kiwanis Club of Toronto (now the Kiwanis Club of Casa Loma) for $1 and a promise to restore the castle to its former condition. The Kiwanis Club still runs the castle today.
Have you been to Casa Loma?
More Info on Casa Loma:
• Casa Loma is open daily from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm
• the book Casa Loma: Toronto's Fairy-Tale Castle and Its Owner, Sir Henry Pellatt by Bill Freeman
• Casa Loma on wikipedia
• Casa Loma even has its own facebook page (you can become a fan!)
(Images: Casa Loma)
both times i've been to toronto, i went to casa loma. it's beautiful, and the view of the city from the tower is really nice. this motivates me to go again soon!
view youreacigarette's profile
I've been twice: once on a school trip in grade 6 and a couple of years ago for a wedding. The ceremony took place in the lovely Conservatory and the dinner in the grand hall. Best of all, during the pause between the two events, you could take a tour of the house.
view Michelle of Montreal's profile
I have been to Casa Loma and it is wonderful! Also, my parents in their late teens and early twenties went to wonderful parties there. According to the photos the men (including my dad) were all in white dinner jackets and the women (especially my mother) look so beautiful in there 1950's party dresses; off the shoulder, teal silk and silk organza wraps. *sigh*
view Carder's profile
I live about 20 minutes walk from Casa Loma and I've been there countless times since I was a kid. It's a great, strange place with a very interesting history.
view kristinm100's profile
When I was a child back in the 50's, Casa Loma was also a doll hospital. Today, they have great spook walks at Halloween.
view sierraberra42's profile
Hey! I thought the setting looked familiar when I saw Xmen. I went there in high school!
view RedMaiko's profile
Right next door to Casa Loma is Spadina, a more modest but in many ways more authentic Toronto mansion dating from 1835. Here's an extensive house tour: http://stylenorth.ca/blog/2009/03/historic-house-tour-spadina/
view ChrisToronto's profile
Noted Toronto architect E.J. Lennox designed a number of T.O. gems; Casa Loma, old City Hall, the King Edward Hotel, and the landmark theatre / movie house at Bloor & Lansdowne that is now home to contemporary art gallery Mercer Union...
view lana_g's profile
kristinm100 - we must be neighbours, I live about 15 minutes away from Casa Loma. The castle is beautiful, but equally gorgeous are the gardens. Most visitors to Casa Loma seem tour the house only, and skip the winding pathways through the garden, which is a shame. More people should check out the gardens!
view heymomo's profile
Yes! My husband and I toured Casa Loma a couple of years ago when our son was a baby. A great way to spend a summer afternoon in Toronto - the gardens are gorgeous, and there are some nice historical displays to go with the house itself.
view haus's profile
I have been there last summer and was somewhat disapointed. With a $20 entry I thought that they would invest money to acquire some nice furniture (the original furniture was sold off when Sir Pellatt went bankrupt) or at least have a neat museum to tell the story of the Casa Loma and their owners.
Moreover, when I went, there was a quilt exhibition which kind of ruined it for me.
The gardens and the view on Toronto are both very nice.
view mcguerin's profile
i haven't been there for a long time, but i went there often when i lived in Toronto.
view rouquinne's profile