Toronto Tourist Attractions: Casa Loma
By: Raffiana Raffiana | Posted: 31st August 2006
When you visit Toronto on vacation, you must see Casa Loma. This is claimed to be the only medieval-style castle in North America and was built by the entrepreneur Sir Henry Pellatt between the years 1911 and 1915. The castle of Casa Loma is a manifestation of Sir Henry's fascination with art, castles, and architecture from the medieval times in Europe. Located in the area of Spadina Avenue and Dupont Street, this is a "must-see" attraction.
Casa Loma means in Spanish "House on the hill." It is often known as a grand financial blunder by some in North America. It was designed based on sketches of castles Sir Henry made. The famous architect E. J. Lennox took the sketches and created a plan to build from. It is reported to have cost Sir Henry $3,500,000 and 300 men to build. Sir Henry was only allowed to live in it for 10 years. World War I broke out shortly after they moved in and hard economic times hit Sir Henry. Sir Henry and his family moved into the castle before construction completed and construction stopped when the war broke out. The costs to maintain a staff for upkeep of the castle and grounds plus an accumulating property tax debt caused Sir Henry to abandon the castle. Lady Pellatt also passed away in 1923 and was a factor in Sir Henry abandoning his dream castle.
Casa Loma is a full-fledged castle. It has tunnels, gardens, and secret passages. Some say that the ghosts of Sir Henry and his wife Lady Mary still roam the interior of it. There are 98 rooms inside and it is recorded that there were once 59 telephones inside. In fact there were a few advanced technical features inside the castle such as a central vacuuming system, very large ovens, and electrical power throughout each room. There was also a central switchboard (to include a switchboard operator) to manage the 59 telephones.
Casa Loma is rich in history even after World War I. There was a great threat to North America in World War II due to German U-Boats roaming the North Atlantic Ocean. It was noted that some U-Boats were actually watching cities in mainland North America and U-Boats were also sinking ships from North American in the North Atlantic Ocean. To detect the U-Boats, a predecessor to the modern-day sonar device was manufactured in Britain. These devices were crucial to detecting the enemy. When the plant that assembled these devices was bombed by the Germans in Britain, the operation was moved by a Canadian engineer to Casa Loma so manufacturing of the device could continue undetected by the Germans. Casa Loma was a place where they had dances on the weekends and the idea is that no German spy would ever suspect it. In fact the operation was so secret that the Toronto City Counselors were not even aware of it until 10 years later.
Because Casa Loma is such a popular site, there are many hotels and bed and breakfast establishments located in close proximity to it. Some of the hotels are very affordable as well. Room prices appeared to start around $31 for a room with a one star rating. If you are looking for a low price and not too concerned with quality or service (just need a place to stay) then this would probably suffice. However there are hotels with higher ratings so it is your preference. It all comes down to getting what you pay for.
Casa Loma is open during the day and offers audiocassettes for self-guided tours. In the months of May through October the gardens around this castle are said to be very beautiful and one can casually stroll through them. The gardens cover five acres and are beautiful with all of their colors especially when accented by the seasonal changes.
So make Casa Loma a top priority on your Toronto vacation. It is truly a unique and inspiring place to visit.
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Tags: economic times, world war ii, medieval times, tax debt, technical features, north atlantic ocean