Have you ever seen a house and thought to yourself, “It feels so familiar,
but I don’t know why.” Hi everyone, Ken here, welcome to "ThisHouse"!
Today we are exploring Casa Loma, one of the most popular destinations for
filming Hollywood blockbusters. Whether you have viewed the X-Men, Harry Potter,
Beauty and the Beast or even music videos such as Wait for U by Drake and Future – you have caught
a glimpse of one of Canada’s largest mansions. But how did this estate in midtown Toronto come to be?
In 1911, wealthy financier Henry Pellatt hired famed Toronto architect E. J. Lennox to design for
him a mansion the likes of which Canada had never seen before. Henry had made his fortune through
various business dealings, but was perhaps most well known for brining hydro-electricity to the
region. Naturally, the nearly 65 thousand square foot mansion would be designed innovative and
state of the art electrical systems. It’s 98 rooms were arranged behind a stone façade featuring
towers, turrets, and spires reaching towards the clouds. The formal gardens were planned to
offer views of Toronto’s ever growing sky-line now illuminated at night for the first time.
The grounds were also planned to include a stately carriage house where henry could store his
collection of Model T’s and other luxury vehicles. And when he felt like traveling old-school,
he could make his way to the stables where his staff would prepare his horses for a ride.
Let’s wind our way back around the 25 acre property, admiring its many fountains and gardens,
framing the mansion’s many faces. Once we’ve arrived at the front drive, we can make our
way below the port cochere to find the main entrance and begin exploring the interior.
On the first floor we will find the great hall, clad in wood paneling with pointed
arches directing our eyes towards the vaulted ceiling with exposed trusses.
Next we will make our way into the conservatory where various types of stone were inlaid to
create the checkered floor. And above us, in the center of the room, a massive stained glass
dome allows natural light to flood the space, reflecting from its marble walls.
From here we can make our way through gilded, glass pained doors to arrive in the original
dining room. And while it sits unfurnished today, we can imagine how grand the dining room table
would have been surrounded by oak panels below an artisan crafted plaster ceiling. To one end,
we can make our way through a colonnade to find the space currently staged as the dining room.
From gothic furniture to pointed gothic windows and a renaissance
revival style fireplace, this grand room transports us back in time.
Directly opposite the oak clad dining room, we will find the breakfast room, a more casual,
but albeit fashionable place where Henry and his family could have enjoyed an informal meal.
Next we will find the oak room, which took over 3 years to complete as multiple artists
worked tirelessly to create the heavy relief work found withing the oak panels,
and, additionally, work to create a stunning plaster ceiling by hand.
Originally, it was decorated with furniture which Henry had custom made for the house,
though he had to sell most of it when times got tough, but more about that later on.
Let’s head into the library, where we are once again met with extensive relief work
on the pilasters and frieze framing built-in, glass-pained book cases.
Suspended from the Jacobean ceiling, crystal chandeliers refract light in a golden hue from
the perfectly polished surfaces. While this room can be used today as a banquet hall and set for
large parties, it was originally decorated with antiques and overstuffed furniture,
so much so that several of the bookcases could not be accessed without moving furniture.
As we wind our way down the hall, we can venture off to find some of the amenities.
First we will find the billiards room featuring an oversized pool table with
plenty of space to circulate around it, pool stick in hand. A massive bay window,
set within an alcove, allows for plenty of light throughout the day.
And if you wanted to take a break, you could sit down in the Louis the 16th style Round Room,
staged for afternoon tea and biscuits. But if that is not your style, or you’re feeling a bit more
lively, you could make your way down to the wine cellar where you would have your choice of drink.
Heading upstairs, we will make our way down the wide hallway to begin exploring the bedrooms.
First we will see henry’s suite, complete with a gilded four post bed and furnished with exotic
furs. He could retreat to the desk in his alcove to read or write into the wee hours of the night.
Attached to his room is a full bathroom clad in marble slabs. Rare for the time,
it included not only a bath, but a shower with heated pipes. Just beyond this is his
perfectly organized closet where his clothes could be stored behind glass pained cabinets.
Next we will see his wife, Mary’s, bedroom finished out with blue
and white painted wall panels and decorated with matching furniture.
Adjoined to her bedroom is her own private sitting room with an alcove for a piano.
This connects to her full bathroom, once again clad in marble. Though it is missing a shower,
it still has a luxurious tub and a sitz bath. Her dressing room, done much in the same
style as Henry’s, has additional detailing with gilded accents framing the cabinets and drawers.
This lavish way of life continues into the Windsor bedroom with hand painted furniture and cheerful
floral patterns upholstering the chairs. Whether you wanted to open the French doors to allow fresh
air to pour in from the balcony, or light the fireplace to stay cozy in the dead of winter,
the Windsor Room would make sure guests were comfortable at all times. Guests would even
have access to their own, full bathrooms, clad in subway tile and porcelain trim rather than marble.
Henry enjoyed Casa Loma with his family for only 10 short years. Following World War One,
Canada raised property taxes on the estate from 600 dollars per year to 1,000 dollars per month.
Henry’s businesses had struggled to stay afloat during the war and the depression that followed
and he seemed to be hemorrhaging money from every facet of his lifestyle. He auctioned off
the modern day equivalent of 10s of millions of dollars worth of art and antiques before selling
the mansion. It briefly operated as a club where wealthy Americans could side skirt prohibition by
traveling just north of the border. Then it fell into tax delinquency and was seized by the city.
A lot of interesting things happened after the government took control of Casa Loma.
During World War Two, signs reading “Under Repair” were placed all around the estate and normal
looking construction crews could be seen carrying materials and tools in and out of the property.
Unbeknownst to the public, the Canadian government was using
it as a dark site to develop sonar capabilities during world war two.
Later on, and after receiving 10 of millions of dollars worth of restoration work,
Casa Loma was opened to the public as a house museum. The estate, with its many distinct and
unique characteristics has served as a backdrop for some of the most loved movies and television
shows in pop culture. The next time you see a grand castle, a historic room, or even stately
gardens on the silver screen, you might just recognize the filming location as Casa Loma.
If you had a favorite room or feature while watching this video,
let me know about it down below in the comments section, and while you’re there,
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