Jack Landau – Urban Toronto

Ever since renderings first appeared on a City of Toronto Planning Department webpage over a year ago, UrbanToronto readers have been eagerly anticipating the redevelopment of the Clarion Hotel site at 592 Sherbourne Street, just south of Bloor. To be known as The Selby Condominiums, details are now being released about the development which will rise 49 storeys over the intersection of Sherbourne and Selby Streets.

Comment: My mother is going to be sad. Her favourtite hotel to stay in when she comes to Toronto is the Selby.

The project’s developers, Cityzen, Diamond Corp. and Fernbrook Homes, have brought together a team of international and Canadian design and architecture talent to work on The Selby, including lead architect Thomas Kerwin of Chicago-based and internationally-recognized firm bKL Architecture. Kerwin was the coordinating architect of Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid, and Kerwin’s previous Toronto projects include the expansion of the Direct Energy Centre and one of the towers at Cityzen’s Garrison Point master-planned community.

“The Selby will create this vision of a red pillar in the sky and join our portfolio of architecturally stunning buildings, such as the Absolute World towers, L Tower and Pier 27,” says Sam Crignano, President of Cityzen. “Not only will The Selby create a stunning architectural statement from the street, but owners will have incredible and unimpeded views in most directions, something that’s becoming hard to come by in downtown Toronto.”

The project’s early rendering drew much praise from our Forum readers and contributors, with the bold, colourful approach especially appreciated. Thomas Kerwin meant to distinguish The Selby architecturally and make the condominium stand out from its surroundings. The development will rise from a four-storey podium, set back from Sherbourne Street, and integrated into the existing 130-year-old heritage building, the Gooderham Mansion, currently located on site. First a private home for the Gooderham family, or Gooderham and Worts fame, it was re-purposed as a girls’ school before being transformed into its current use, a residential hotel that once housed legendary writer Ernest Hemingway. bKL Architecture has been working closely with heritage preservation experts ERA Architects, who have overseen many of the historical preservation efforts conducted in Toronto over the past several years.

The Selby will offer a variety of suites including a limited number of townhomes. Interiors are by Toronto-based but internationally recognized Johnson Chou of Johnson Chou Inc. whose works includes the award-winning Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, while outdoor common areas are by landscape architect Claude Cormier of Claude Cormier + Associes, based out of Montreal. Cormier and his firm have a lengthy portfolio in Toronto and abroad, with local projects including L Tower, Garrison Point, The Evergreen Brick Works, Four Seasons Hotel and Residences and the ROM.

For now, additional information and renderings can be found in the Urban Toronto dataBase file. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated forum thread, or leave a comment below.

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Contact Laurin Jeffrey for more information – 416-388-1960

Laurin Jeffrey is a Toronto real estate agent with Century 21 Regal Realty.
He did not write these articles, he just reproduces them here for people who
are interested in Toronto real estate. He does not work for any builders.
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