|
Historical background
Sir Henry Pellatt, the dreamer behind Toronto's famous landmark, Casa Loma, was born in Kingston, Ontario on January 6, 1859 to British parents. Ambitious from his youth, Sir Henry left his studies at Upper Canada College when he was seventeen to pursue a career in commerce in the family business. By the age of 23 he became a full partner in his father's stock brokerage firm, from that time on known as Pellatt and Pellatt. That year was also marked by his marriage to Mary Dodgeson, whom he met when he was twenty. 
Even as a young man, Henry Pellatt embraced the spirit of the family motto "Devant Si Je Puis" - "Foremost if I can." When he met his bride-to-be, Sir Henry had already achieved local renown in 1879 for beating the U. S. amateur champion in the running of the mile. Travels in Europe gave him the love for fine art and architecture which would spur his vision of Casa Loma, his "house on the hill." This romantic side was uniquely juxtaposed by his other lifelong passion: his involvement with the military, specifically the
As a partner in Pellatt and Pellatt, Sir Henry was a business visionary. In the same year that Thomas Edison developed steam-generated electricity, Sir Henry realized that supplying electricity could be extremely profitable. He founded the Toronto Electric Light Company in 1883. By the time he was thirty, the Toronto Electric Light Company enjoyed a monopoly on the supply of street lighting to the city.
In 1892 his father retired, enabling Sir Henry to invest with more risk. Despite vigorous discouragement from his friends he purchased stock in the Canadian Pacific Railroad and in the North West Land Company. As with steam-generated electricity, his intuition was right on target. A liberal immigration policy led to opening of the Canadian west which led to healthy profits from his investments in both the Canadian Pacific Railroad and in the North West Land Company.
By 1901, Sir Henry was chairman of 21 companies with interests in mining, insurance, land and electricity. In 1902, he and his partners won the rights to build the first Canadian hydro-generating plant at Niagara Falls. He was knighted in 1905 for his military service with the Queen's Own Rifles.
Pellatt's Midas touch continued through most of his business life. In 1911, armed with a fortune of $17 million, Pellatt drew up plans to build his dream castle with Canadian architect E. J. Lennox. The land on which he planned to build had been given a name by its previous owner: "house on the hill" or Casa Loma.
Visitor information: Visit Canada's Majestic Castle, Casa Loma and step back in time to a period of European elegance and splendour. The former home of Canadian financier Sir Henry Pellatt, Canada's foremost castle is complete with decorated suites, secret passages, an 800-foot tunnel, towers, stables, and beautiful 5-acre estate gardens (open May through October). A self-guided digital audio tour in 8 languages (English, French, Japanese, German, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin and Korean) is available.
Narrated by Colin Mochrie (This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Whose Line is it Anyway), this new 22-minute docudrama is styled as a 1939 newsreel tracing the arc of Sir Henry Pellatt's life. From his roots as an enterprising stockbroker to his ascent to the heights of the Canadian establishment, Pellatt Newsreel is a story of unbridled optimism and entrepreneurial high stakes. But Pellatt Newsreel also tells the story of hubris and tragedy - how Sir Henry's dreams were undone, first by the Ontario government and then by his own financial miscalculations, which saw him driven out of his glorious "castle on the hill", his home and monument. The film was produced by Lush Art & Entertainment and directed by Barbra Cooper. Presented daily in the beautifully restored Billiard/ Smoking Room. Screenings each half hour during operating hours. Pellatt film is included in ticket price.
We gratefully acknowledge the generous contribution of SPF Design Inc. to this restoration project.
Contact:
Casa Loma
1 Austin Terrace
Toronto, Ontario
M5R 1X8
Canada
email
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
45°F 
-°F 
