Casa Loma

Casa Loma, Spanish for “house on the hill,” was built by Sir Henry Pellatt from 1911 to 1914. It cost $3.5 million, the equivalent of more than $60 million today. It was imagined as a romantic castle, complete with secret tunnels. Artisans took three years to carve the oak panels in one room alone and the horse stalls in the stable are lined in mahogany.

Interesting Fact

Casa Loma’s stables played a top-secret role in World War II. Hidden behind a cheap padlock and a sign that stated “Construction in progress – Sorry for the inconvenience” was the Allies’ development of their Anti-Submarine Sonar Detection devices (ASDIC). These proved crucial in the Battle of the Atlantic.