Toronto's skyline is undergoing a period of unprecedented transformation, and the development boom that has reshaped the city in recent years is now producing the tallest buildings ever constructed in Canada.

The enormous condo tower rising from the southwest corner of Yonge and Bloor, known as The One for its address of 1 Bloor Street West,  is on track to temporarily become Canada's tallest building.

Set to rise as high as 91 storeys and reach a staggering 328.4 metres, The One's reign as the biggest kid on the block will be short-lived, as it will quickly lose this prestige to the even taller SkyTower under construction a few kilometres to the south on Yonge Street.

While the tower was approved to rise to the aforementioned thanks to a height increase granted by the City amid a height race with SkyTower, there are now some doubts as to whether the building will be constructed to this height, or if the many challenges faced throughout the project's realization will cut ambitions down to the previously-planned 85-storey height.

Mizrahi Developments had grandiose plans with The One, though after several project delays and a public legal battle with tech giant Apple over the tower's flagship retail space, the project was placed into receivership in 2023, and the developer was booted off the project in its role as general contractor.

The firm Alvarez and Marsal was appointed as receivers of the enormous project during these proceedings, and it was revealed that the court-appointed firm tasked with recouping the project's debts was looking to sell off the property to the tune of $1.2 billion.

Documents published by the company state the intention to construct the project as an 85-storey tower, which would prove a rare case of a developer building below its allotted height. 

The court-appointed receivers have already divided up units in the building in an effort to recoup costs, something a height reduction and elimination of units may not necessarily help to achieve. 

Regardless of what the final height is, the tower is on track to overtake First Canadian Place's 298-metre height as Canada's tallest building, albeit temporarily.

Despite the background problems, construction has continued, with the tower's ascent gaining momentum in recent months.

The One's futuristic design by U.K.-based architects Foster + Partners has become apparent, now rising approximately three-quarters of the way to its final height.

Photos reveal that The One is quickly gearing up to surpass its neighbour, One Bloor East, which stands as Toronto's sixth-tallest building as of mid-2023.

As it ascends higher into the skyline, the tower's exterior details are also coming together, such as its dark reflective champagne-coloured cladding and finishes capping the building's unique hybrid structural exoskeleton support system.

It has taken a monumental amount of work, and quite a few ruffled feathers in the community, to get to this stage of construction.

Nine and a half years ago, the closed Stollerys retailer occupying The One's site was hastily demolished, generating concerns among locals and politicians.

After two years sitting idle, construction would begin on the cleared site in mid-2017. A full seven years later, the southwest corner of Yonge and Bloor remains a busy construction site.