- Type
- Fortress
- Built
- 1911 · 20th century
- Style
- Gothic Revival
- Commissioned by
- Henry Pellatt
- Architect
- E. J. Lennox
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 43.6781°, -79.4093°
History
The mansion was built in 1911–1914 for Sir Henry Pellatt, a Canadian financier who made a fortune partly from bringing electricity to Toronto. The architect E. J. Lennox combined the look of European castles with the latest technology of the day, such as an elevator and a central vacuum system. The stables and the hunting lodge went up first, and Pellatt lived in the lodge while the house was being built. After the First World War Pellatt's businesses collapsed, and a steep rise in property tax together with the running costs forced him to leave the house in 1923. In 1924 the city seized the estate for unpaid taxes and it stood empty for years; since 1937 the local Kiwanis Club has run it and opened it to visitors.
What to see
Visitors tour the Great Hall with its soaring timber ceiling, the library, studies and a conservatory under a stained-glass dome. You can climb the towers for views of downtown Toronto, find hidden passages and walk a long underground tunnel to the old stables, which hold period carriages and cars. In summer the terraced gardens on the hillside are open as well.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q1046446
Popularity: articles about this site in 21 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).