Wait, There’s a Brick-Clad High Rise in Toronto?
By looking to Toronto’s past, this tower in red simultaneously circumvented the glass box cliché and made brownstone facades fresh again
The Selby
Sherbourne St & Bloor St E
Completion: 2018
From: $2,000/mo. (53 square metres)
Quick take: An upscale rental a stone’s throw from Mink Mile, Rosedale Ravine and the ROM, this slim red tower by MOD Developments and Tricon Capital incorporates the 130-year-old Gooderham House – a former dwelling of writer Ernest Hemingway – into its handsome base. If you haven’t read The Sun Also Rises, the Toronto Reference Library is a short jaunt away.
From the street: Renowned Chicago firm bKL Architecture clad the 50-storey apartment building in red brick to match the stately manse – a loving restoration led by ERA Architects. By adding notched massing at the top, they simultaneously accommodated the neighbouring high-rise and created roomier upper-level floor plans.
Moving in: The Gooderham House was the starting point for designer Johnson Chou’s hybrid modern–traditional scheme for the 502 rental suites and common spaces. On The Selby fourth floor, you’ll find contemporary touches like a breezily appointed indoor/outdoor entertainment space with refined stone surfaces, comfy sectionals and custom light-filtering wood privacy screens.
On the second storey, a rooftop pool with adjoining sauna promises luxurious at-home spa days – though it might be hard to leave one’s unit when there are natural-toned Scavolini kitchens and vanities, Caesarstone countertops and Whirlpool appliances (yes, even wine fridges) installed in the suites. triconhouse.com
