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The Castle was commissioned in 1850 by Donald McIntosh, who owned a couple of steamships that traversed Lake Ontario between Kingston, Toronto, Hamilton and St. Catharines. And like another Canadian Castle owner (Robert Dunsmuir), McIntosh had promised his wife a castle if she agreed to leave their native Scotland to find their fortune in Canada. McIntosh did well in his ventures from the 1820s to the 1840s. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to compete with, or adapt to, the rise of the railroads in southern Ontario and he began losing shipping contracts because rail cargo was faster and quite often a cheaper means of transporting goods. By 1852, after stalling Power numerous times on the project, McIntosh ran out of money and had to walk away from his dream home before completion. Power was left with an incomplete project and an unpaid bill. He did find a client willing to complete the project in 1852 and McIntosh Castle has lived a long and happy existence as a privately owned home ever since. The current owners have painstakingly maintained the Castle over the years and keep the grounds well landscaped much in a high Victorian fashion. McIntosh Castle is one of the more popular homes that heritage lovers stop to admire along Kingston’s many heritage walk tours.

The initial failure of McIntosh Castle did not harm or deter Power’s ability to secure other contracts. He would go on to become a well respected architect in Kingston. Power was appointed City Architect in 1866, a position he held until his death in 1882. In 1873, Power’s 25 year-old son, Joseph, joined him to create Power and Son Architects. After John Power’s death in 1882, his second son, Thomas, joined brother Joseph in the family business until 1930. This architectural company still exists, although it has changed its name over the years and it is one of the longest running firms of any kind in Canada. The current name is Mill and Ross and although it is now a global company in scope with contracts as far away as Japan and Dubai, it is still based in Kingston and produces many buildings each year including schools, healthcare wings and governmental facilities.

From History To The People