West Vancouver's Park Royal, which
celebrates its 30th birthday this week, can claim
two marks of distinction. Back in 1950 it was
Canada’s very first shopping centre. And, like the
Wright Brothers’ airplane, many skeptics at that

time said it would “never get off the ground.”

The first distinction
remains. As to the skeptics
— the 1950 sightseers who
shook their heads passing
Kennedy McDonald's Men's
Wear, saying “Who's going
to shop here when they can
shop downtown? They'll lose
their shirts” — they have
long ago followed the dodo
bird into oblivion.

The concept of Park
Royal developed a decade
after the opening of the
Lions Gate Bridge in 1938,
with the mighty boost it gave
to development in West
Vancouver.

The first sod for Canada’s
pioneer shopping centre was
turned by the head man of its
major tenant, Hon. W.C.
Woodward, in August 1949.

Thirteen months later the
original Park Royal — an
open-air collection of stores
confined to the north side of
Marine Drive — opened for
business.

At that time the south side
of Marine Drive opposite the
centre was still virgin bush.
The first “new” development
to the south came five years
later with the opening of the
original White Spot drive-in.
But things were not to
remain that way for long.

By the beginning of the
sixties plans to expand the
shopping centre itself south
of the highway were well in
hand. By early 1962 con-
struction of the new South
Mail, anchored at either end
by Eaton's and Super Valu,

Do you ever feel trapped in a body
that doesn't tit your self image nc
matter how enthusiastically you det

was approaching com-
pletion. The forma! opening
took place later that year.

By 1968 it was the turn of
Park Royal North for a
major facelift. During the
next 18 months the original
“open” shopping centre was
completely enclosed and
transforthed into an_at-
tractive indoor mall with
many additional specialty
Stores and two decks of
rooftop parking.

Eight years down the
road, however, lay a still
more ambitious project.

The massive enlargement
of Park Royal South got
under way in the summer of

1977 — adding a large
Hudson's Bay store, a
second level of mall

specialty shops, a new Super
Valu, multi-level parking
decks, a complete new road
system round the southern
perimeter and a new bridge
over the Capilano River to
North Vancouver.

The festive opening in
August 1979 — a champagne
reception attended by some
2.000 guests — was a
memorable landmark in
Park Royal's successful
growth ~— reflecting a
management vision, backed
by a cooperative family of
merchants, that has
progressively expanded the
centre over less than a
generation to make it one of
the top leaders in Canada’s
merchandising industry.

Call now for details or come see us
no obligation!

HOW IT BEGAN in
August 1949 — a
youthful “Chanky”
Woodward (wearing
glasses) watches Hon.
W.C. Woodward turn
the sod for the new
shopping cnetre. Others
(lk to rr) are C.R.
Westgate; J.W. But-
terfield of Woodward's;
P.D.Willoughby, Park
Royal's first ad-
ministrator; and R.D.
Welch of Marwell
construction.

MORE PICTURES
ON PAGE A 20

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133 W. 16th ST.
NORTH VANCOUVER

988-0141

North Shore News