Casa Loma
Casa Loma ( Spanish for "house on the hill") is a castle-like mansion in Toronto , Canada , which was built from 1911 to 1914 by Sir Henry Pellatt for approximately 3.5 million Canadian dollars . The eclectic architecture is based on those of medieval castles in Europe. Casa Loma is located on the north end of Spadina Avenue on Davenport Hill.
history
Pellatt, who had made a fortune with mines, insurance, land, and power plants, hired Canadian architect EJ Lennox to design Casa Loma. Construction work began in 1911 with the stables north of the future castle. The stables then served as a building site; some of the construction machines are still stored in the rooms under the stables. 300 construction workers were involved in the project.
In 1914 the castle was completed; with its 98 rooms it was the largest private residence in North America at the time. Amenities included an elevator , an oven big enough to roast an ox, two vertical passages for pipe organs , central heating , two secret passages to Pellatt's office on the first floor, and three bowling alleys .
Pellatt's fortune shrank rapidly during World War I and he was forced to move out of business in 1923 due to financial concerns. In 1924 the castle was auctioned for a fraction of its value. From 1925 to 1929 it was run as a luxury hotel without success. The City of Toronto bought the castle in 1933 and the local Kiwanis Club opened it to the public in 1937. Secret research on sonar devices was carried out here during World War II . Today Casa Loma serves as a museum together with the castle garden. It is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Toronto.
Culture
In the 1920s, the Glen Gray and Casa Loma Orchestra played in the Schlosshotel, and they later rose to become stars of swing music. The castle was used as a location for several feature and television films, such as B. X-Men , Chicago , The Tuxedo , Cracked , Der Babynator and Ready or Not - On your marks , get set , dead .
Web links
- Site of the castle (English)
Coordinates: 43 ° 40 ′ 41.3 " N , 79 ° 24 ′ 34" W.