Shaping

WEST VANCOUVER’S 75th anniversary had a brighter
beginning thanks to a legacy from Expo 86.

The Guinness family from
England was responsible for the
new lighting on Lions Gate Bridge.

NEWS photo Mike Walotield

LIONS GATE BRIDGE, Park Royal and the British Properties are a few of the features of West Vancouver
that the Guinness family developed over the municipality’s past 75 years.

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45 - Wednesday, May 27, 1987 - North Shore News

It was particularly fitting that a
reception during Expo took place
at Park Royal Shopping Centre —
another development of the Guin-
ness family.

Park Royal was acclaimed in-
ternationally as the first regional
shopping centre in Canada. In its
37 year history, it has grown from
a small strip plaza with about 20
shops aud services, and another
B.C, family enterprise, Wood-
ward’s, as an anchor. Today it is
one of the largest employers on the
North Shore with some 180 shops
and parking for over 5,000 cars.

From the Municipality of West
Vancouver in 1931, British Pacific
Properties Ltd., a Guinness enter-
prise, acquired about 4,700 acres
of tax sale land. Part of the con-
sideration was an undertaking by
the company to extend $1 million
in development. Investment has
been many times that figure.

Part of that development was to
be used as a residential area. A
quicker access than Second Nar-
rows Bridge or the ferry was se-
quired. So in 1936 as work pro-
ceeded on the development of the
British Properties (then known as
Capilano Estates), the company
began construction of the Lions
Gate Bridge. It opened to traffic
May 22, 1938, but with the beginn-
ing of World War I in 1939, real
estate operations were closed
down, In 1946 the original 450 lots,
which averaged about !% acres

GUINNESS FAMIL Y MAJOR PLAYER If MUNICIPALITY'S DEVELOPMENT
est Vancouver

and sold for $5,600 were re-sub-
divided into more than 1,200
smaller lots. Capilano Golf and
Country Club, part of the project,
added social and recreation activi-
ties.

In 1964 a bowling alley was ad-
ded to the Park Royal facilities.
The year 1965 saw the opening of
the Famous Players twin movie
theatre, and in 1972 Kapilano 100,
a 135,000-square-foot office
building was built on the bank of
the Capilano River. In 1985-86 the
North Mall underwent a refur-
bishing program of more than $2
million,

In the year of West Vancouver’s
75th birthday, Peter J. Finch,
president and managing director of
British Pacific Properties Ltd.,
foresees a continuing growth in
response to market demand. The
most immediate possiblity is
another office tower just west of
the Bay and south of the parking
decks.

Tentative plans provide for a
two-level lobby, with retail space
on the upper level and a link to the
present mall.

“Looking fairly long term,”’
said Finch, ‘‘we would like to
develop residential accommodation
to the south and west of the twin
theatres. It would be a very attrac-
tive addition to the municipality as

See Park
Page 46

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