Casa Loma, Toronto

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Casa Loma, Henry Pellatt, Hydro, Military, Toronto, tourism

The famous Castle that Sir Henry Pellatt built in Toronto.

Casa Loma, 1 Austin Terrace, Toronto, 1920.

When my family first moved to Toronto in 1974 the CN Tower was under construction and from our street in Forest Hill we could see the Tower going up every day. In those days Casa Loma was run by a Social Club and was a cheap tourist attraction full of half truths and myth. The whole place was largely empty and looked terrible but it still fascinated people. Casa Loma is the main house and across the street and connected by an underground tunnel are the stables and garage, another mansion on the corner was also built prior to the main house where Sir Henry Pellatt and his wife lived until the main building was completed.

The Stables and garage across the street from Casa Loma connected by an underground tunnel 

The whole complex was built between 1911-1914 at a time when Canada was a very young and prosperous nation full of intrepid business men like Sir Henry. All had ideas of living like Barons and their personal wealth, in an age when income tax did not exist, made it possible. Sir Henry would live there until 1923 when he was forced out by bankruptcy.

Major General, Sir Henry Mill Pellatt 1859-1939 was an entrepreneur, his entrepreneurship helped the industrialization of Ontario at the beginning of the 20th century.

He is notable for his role in bringing hydro-electricity to Toronto, Ontario, for the first time, and also for his large château in Toronto, called Casa Loma, which was the biggest private residence ever constructed in Canada. Casa Loma would eventually become a well-known landmark of the city. His summer home and 800 acre farm in King City later became Mary Lake Augustinian Monastery.

Pellatt was also a noted supporter of the Boy Scouts of Canada. His first wife, Mary, was the first Chief Commissioner of the Girl Guides of Canada.

Pellatt was born in Kingston, Ontario, the son of Henry Pellatt (1830-1909), a Glasgow-born stockbroker in Toronto,and Emma Mary Pellatt (née Holland). He was related to the famous glassmaker Apsley Pellatt (1763–1826).

He was educated at Upper Canada College before leaving in 1876 to join his father’s stock brokerage company, Pellatt and Osler, as a clerk.

Pellatt married twice, first to Mary Dodgson in Toronto in 1882 and, after Mary’s death in 1924, to Catharine Welland Merritt in Toronto in 1927. With his first wife, he had one son, Reginald, who was born in 1885.

Pellatt enlisted as a rifleman with The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada on November 2, 1876. He rose through the ranks and eventually became the Commanding Officer. In 1905, he was created a Knight Bachelor by King Edward VII for his service with The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada.

In 1910, Pellatt took the entire 600-man regiment (including its horses) to England for military training at his expense, to mark the Regiment’s 50th anniversary. The military exercises lasted from August 13 to October 3, 1910.

Pellatt later served as the regiment’s Honorary Colonel and was promoted to the rank of Major-General upon his retirement from the regiment. In addition, he was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 1910.

From 1911 to 1923, he was the Knight Principal of the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor.

Much of Pellatt’s fortune was made through investments in the railway and hydro-electric industries in Canada, including the Toronto Electric Light Company. However, the strain of maintaining his large castle led him to ill-advised real estate investments, which were unsuccessful. The Provincial Government expropriated his electrical power generating business, and his aircraft manufacturing business was later taken over as part of the war effort during World War I. Combined, these difficulties led to his near-bankruptcy and forced him and Lady Pellatt to leave Casa Loma in 1923. They therefore moved to their farm at Mary Lake in King City. The contents of Casa Loma were sold at auction for pennies on the dollar.

After he died on March 8, 1939, thousands of people lined Toronto streets to witness his funeral procession, and he was buried with full military honours. He is interred at Forest Lawn Mausoleum in Toronto.

Military Funeral of Sir Henry Pellatt at the Toronto Armoury.

Today Casa Loma is a museum to a period in Canadian History, the Castle is far more interesting now, it has been refurbished with the help of  both the Regiment of Sir Henry and the Social Club who run the place and also the important revenu made from movie rights and special event held at the Castle allow for its upkeep. It is well worth visiting, situated in a beautiful neighbourhood of the City.

Front and back views of this impressive building. 

She is only 196 years young

Tags

Aylmer, Casa Loma, COC, NGC, Osgoode Hall, Ottawa, Quebec, Queen's Park, Toronto

Today 24 May is the Birthday of Queen Victoria who is 196 years old. It is also the National Capital Marathon Weekend, some 10,000 + runners from around the world participate. We live in the middle of Marathon central so our streets were closed to traffic. It is a nice atmosphere, lots of people out enjoying themselves.

The story about Queen Victoria and the Capital Ottawa is about how she chose this in the middle of nowhere lumber camp at the entrance to the Rideau Canal to be the final choice for a Capital for Canada. The Chief Minister at the time John A. Macdonald a willy Scot worked his charm on her as early as 1857 by showing her nice water colours of the surrounding area and by 1864 she decided that Ottawa would be it. Not knowing that it was a mud town full of drunk and rowdy lumberjacks. Up to that time Quebec City had been the Capital since 1608 but then politicians moved the Elected Assembly to Montreal, because it had paved streets and lights and then to Toronto which did not have much and then to Kingston on Lake Ontario which was far to close to those damn Yankees. For years we celebrated on 24 May the Empire but after Victoria’s death in 1901, the celebration where held in her memory.

The British Hotel (1834) in Aylmer, Quebec beautifully restored. Aylmer, named after a Governor General, is a small town 10Km West of Ottawa on the Quebec side of the Outaouais River. The town is full of building like this one. The Brit is famous because in the 1950’s all the Jazz and Blues great names came to play here. This was the place. The owner for many decades was this old Polish fellow and when he died at the age of 98 some 7 years ago the family sold the building. It was in very poor state, an investor  bought it and voilà. Aylmer was known in the 1930’s to 1960 for the big band and Jazz Clubs who came to this small town and brought with them the monied crowd of Ottawa who also went to the Connaught Racetrack and posh Golf Clubs. The reason for the popularity of Aylmer was the rather liberal liquor laws of Quebec where bars open at 7am and close at 3am. In Ottawa bars opened at noon and closed promptly at 11:30pm. The difference between French Roman Catholics and English Presbyterians.

The weather has been very cool if not cold some nights very unseasonal. There is clearly climate change. It is worrisome.

Here is some pictures of the last few weeks and things we have been up to.

Ugo Rondinone, FEET, which is one of 9 sculptures based on the Chinese Scholar’s rock. Based on ancient Chinese Literati tradition of appreciation for eroded stones that take the form of landscapes or living beings. Can be seen in the smaller visitors entrance of the National Gallery of Canada.

A special exhibit on Chagall opens at the NGC this week. The theme is Daphnis and Chloé. The set of lithographs titled Daphnis & Chloé is considered Chagall’s most important graphic work. Through fanciful compositions and bright hues, the artist illustrates the pastoral idylls of the goatherd Daphnis and the shepherdess Chloé on the island of Lesbos, as recounted in a second-century Greek tale.

National Gallery of Canada

The Archbishops Palace c.1848 on St-Patrick’s Street on the South side of the Cathedral.

The old War Museum which has been closed and empty for the last 10 years, next to the NGC. It was recently sold to Prince Karim Aga Khan for his peace foundation. He is the step-son of Rita Hayworth. The Aga Khan is the leader of the Shia Ismaili branch of Islam. He is a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed. He had a very modern Embassy Chancery built next to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Though he is considered an Imam in Shia Islam, for a holy man he is not the usual type, he is a ski champion, raised in Europe, he is a billionaire and spends his money on international development through his foundation.

The Flag of the Montreal Canadien Hockey Team flying in front of the Mayor of Ottawa’s Office. After the Canadien beat the Ottawa Senators in the semi-finals.

Casa Loma in Toronto, the largest Castle Palace in North America built by General Sir Henry Mill Pellatt in 1913 for the sum of $3.5 million dollars. He was a wealthy and important businessman/investor in Canada and the Commanding Officer of the Queen’s Own Rifles Regiment. I will have to do a separate entry on Casa Loma it is a wonderful place to visit. Not pictured here is the Lodge and the stables and garage across the Street which are equally grand in design.

Queen’s Park, Legislative Building of the Assembly of the Province of Ontario in Toronto. The building was completed in 1893 in the Romanesque style.

the Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts on University Ave in Toronto home of the Canadian Opera Company. Opened in 2006.

the auditorium, really a beautiful space. We saw Blue Beard’s Castle by Béla Bartok, a Robert Lepage production and Erwantung by Arnold Schoenberg.

Osgoode Hall, Law school and seat of the Law Society of Ontario. Built in 1829 in the Palladian style during the reign of George IV the building was completed under William IV, it stands across the street from the Four Seasons Centre and next to Toronto City Hall.

On our balcony while Will is planting lavender and other plants, our Nora, can you see her hiding next to the Lavender.