National Post

How Toronto will take control of Casa Loma
After years of tension and power struggles, the city has agreed to take control of Casa Loma (Note to non-Torontonians: As seen in X-Men and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) from the Kiwanis Club. On May 24, council’s executive committee will vote on terminating the management agreement between the two parties, ending the Kiwanis Club’s 75-year reign. The Post’s Jane Switzer looks at what’s next for the city’s house on the hill.

Q Before we start, what do beginners need to know about Casa Loma?
A: The museum and landmark in midtown Toronto is the former home of financier Sir Henry Pellatt. Designed by architect E.J. Lennox, the brains behind Old City Hall, it was constructed by more than 300 men for $3.5-million between 1911 and 1914. Pellatt went bankrupt and sold the castle in 1923. It operated as a hotel and popular nightspot until the city seized it in 1933 for $27,303 in back taxes. In 1937, it was opened to the public for the first time by the Kiwanis Club of Toronto, now called the Kiwanis Club of Casa Loma. (Photo: Aaron Lynett/National Post)