For decades, the skyline of Toronto's Bloor and Sherbourne area has been dominated by the mostly pallid apartment towers found in the St. James Town neighbourhood. In recent years, additions like the James Cooper Mansion and 561 Sherbourne have added some height and visual variety to the area, and now another major tower is beginning to punctuate this skyline with some colour, and is soon to add a higher-end option to the rental apartment mix in the area.

The Selby, from Tricon Capital, Mod Developments, and OP Trust, will rise to a height of 50 storeys. Designed by Chicago-based bKL Architecture, it is being clad in a precast concrete panels inlaid with real red brick on the surface. When we last updated The Selby's construction progress just over a month ago, work had begun on the tower’s 25th floor, while the red brick cladding had reached the 14th floor. Installation of glazing for the building’s punched windows followed a few levels behind, reaching the 9th floor in early July.

Aerial of The Selby from early-August, after the tower surpassed the neighbouring condo, image by Forum contributor skycandy

In the weeks since, The Selby has made swift progress. Now rising to a height of 36 storeys, the tower has surpassed the neighbouring James Cooper Mansion's 32-storey height to the immediate south. Installation of the red brick panels now reaches up to the 29th floor, with the punched window glazing installed up to the 15th floor.

The Selby viewed from street level on Sherbourne, image by Forum contributor Benito

Construction will get even more interesting in the coming weeks, with the notched southeast corner coming to an end as of the 37th floor. The 38th floor will be built fully out to the corner of the rectangular floorplate, so you can expect specialized formwork to appear soon way up in the air to create this overhanging section of the building.

As the tower grows in height, it has begun to impact various views of the Toronto skyline. The view below shows how the building now appears to motorists travelling southbound on the Don Valley Parkway. With fourteen more residential levels still remaining, The Selby will have a significant impact on Don Valley skyline views.

The Selby entering into skyline views, image by Forum contributor steveve

Additional information and renderings for The Selby can be found in the project's database file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.