Casa Loma and the Pellatts
I visited Casa Loma on a trip to Toronto–a pilgrimage to a few sites in the comic series Scott Pilgrim, in which many scenes take place in real locations in the city. The history of the castle is tragic or ironic depending on how you look at it; a wealthy industrialist builds his dream home and loses it to financial troubles after only 11 years.
“Casa Loma and the Pellatts
Of all the grand houses ever built on this escarpment, Casa Loma is the grandest. Meaning “House (on the) Hill”, it was the romantic vision of industrialist Sir Henry Pellatt (1859-1939). Pellatt made his fortune harnessing the power of Niagara falls to electrify the streets and homes of Toronto. A flamboyant entrepreneur, he was fascinated by the middle ages. Pellatt was knighted in 1905 as a patron and commander of the Queen’s Own Rifles, a Canadian militia regiment. His towered mansion designed by architect E. J. Lennox in 1909 is an extravagant medieval fantasy. At 98 rooms, it is Canada’s largest house. The Pellatt’s moved into Casa Loma in 1913 and lived there for eleven years. In 1924, faced with severe financial setbacks, Pellatt was forced to sell his cherished home. After an unsuccessful attempt as an apartment-hotel, in 1937 this landmark was taken over by the West Toronto Kiwanis Club who continue to manage the castle as a popular tourist attraction.”
Location: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Casa+Loma/@43.6771094,-79.4092531,17z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x882b349dcf25a1b3:0x617cc8c102d6584f