Where is the only castle in North America?

North America's only castle, Casa Loma, is a Gothic Revival style house and gardens in midtown Toronto, Canada, that is now a museum and landmark. Constructed over a three-year period from 1911–1914, and designed by the architect E. J. Lennox, Casa Loma took more than 300 men and approximately $3.5 million to complete.



The only true royal castle in North America is Chapultepec Castle (Castillo de Chapultepec), located atop Chapultepec Hill in Mexico City, Mexico. While there are many "castle-style" mansions and historic forts across the United States and Canada, Chapultepec is unique because it is the only one on the continent that served as an actual residence for reigning monarchs. It was inhabited by Emperor Maximilian I and Empress Carlota during the Second Mexican Empire in the 1860s. The castle features stunning Neoclassical and Neo-Romantic architecture, and its interiors are filled with royal furnishings and murals. Today, it serves as the National Museum of History. While some people mistakenly cite Casa Loma in Toronto or Hearst Castle in California, those are considered stately homes or follies rather than sovereign royal residences. Another notable site is the Iturbide Palace, also in Mexico City, which housed Mexico's first emperor, but Chapultepec remains the preeminent "castle" of the Americas.

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