USELESS PALACE

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 450, 4 June 1937, Page 2

USELESS PALACE

MAGNATE’S MANSION

City’s Strange Problem Toronto (Canada), May 5., Shortly before the Great War Sir Henry Pellatt, then a Canadian of great wealth, built on a Tbronto hill a huge mansion which cost him £260,000. He spent another £200,_ 000 on furnishing the place, lived Jiere a few years in great state, and then moved ot when business reverses struck heavily at his fortune. Eventually the costly furniture was ;old at auction. Other parties tried their hands at running ithe place, first as lan apart-ment-hotel, later as a club, and both failed after another half million had been spent on it Three years ago the property came into’ possession of the city for arrears of taxes, and ever since that time Toronto has 1 been seeking a way to utilise a used castle of mingled Italian, Scottish and Eng. lish architecture with a Spanish name

—Casa Loma.—in which nobody can afford to livd, which is not designed for any commercial purpose, which is so solidly built that the cost of removing it would' be heavy During his years of occupation, Sir Henry Pellatt, who once took a regiment to England at his own expense to participate in military manoeuvres, paid £l6OO a year for coal, £2400 in property taxes and £4OOO for ser. vants. He moved out in 1923. Sir Henry himself hoped Casa Loma would some day become a military institute or a public museum, possibly a war museum. In the course of its hi&iony, Casa Loma has been recommended for trans.formia.tion into a hospital, a military barracks, a war veterans’ home, a hostel for unemployed, an art gallery, a pension home for aged artists, writers' and musicians, and a railway station. Recently it has- been suggested - That it might be made the winter home of the Dionne quintuplets. It also has been recommended for oblivio.n