View archival description

Fonds 044 - British Pacific Properties fonds
Reports

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

British Pacific Properties fonds

General material designation

  • Graphic material
  • Textual record

Parallel title

Other title information

Title statements of responsibility

Title notes

  • Source of title proper: Title based on the creator of the fonds.

Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

CA WVAN 044

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1933-1987 (Creation)
    Creator
    British Pacific Properties Limited

Physical description area

Physical description

ca. 2000 photographs
96 cm of textual records

Publisher's series area

Title proper of publisher's series

Parallel titles of publisher's series

Other title information of publisher's series

Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

Numbering within publisher's series

Note on publisher's series

Archival description area

Name of creator

British Pacific Properties Limited (1931-)

Administrative history

British Pacific Properties Limited was created as a company in 1931 by the Guinness brewing family to purchase, and receive the development rights to 4,700 acres of land on Hollyburn Ridge. The ‘Highlands’ on West Vancouver’s upper levels became known as the British Properties, an exclusive residential development in West Vancouver. In return for these rights, British Pacific Properties agreed to build a crossing from Vancouver to West Vancouver, and through the First Narrows Bridge company constructed the Lions Gate Bridge which opened in November 1938.

British Pacific Properties Limited also committed to building the Capilano Golf and Country Club on 165 acres which opened for play in the summer of 1937. The final phase was the commercial development of the property at Taylor Way and Marine Drive. Park Royal, the first regional shopping centre in Canada covered 125,000 square feet when it opened in September 1950, anchored by Woodward’s Department Store. Park Royal was named after an area in London in which one of the Guinness family breweries was located.

The shopping centre went through various phases of expansion on both sides of Marine Drive with the south mall opening in 1963 followed by expansions in the 1970s. The black office tower, Kapilano 100, was built in 1974. Park Royal Shopping Centre underwent subsequent renovations after the closing of Woodward’s in 1993, and Eaton’s in 1999. British Pacific Properties Limited started to develop its Whitby Estates property in 1996. In 1999, British Pacific Properties Limited formed British Pacific Enterprises, an in-house building division and turnkey service for custom home development.

Custodial history

Scope and content

The fonds consists of material relating to the company's development of the British Properties (Capilano Estates), and Park Royal Shopping Centre. The majority of the material is photographs documenting the original construction, expansion, and many activities of Park Royal. The fonds also includes four scrapbooks documenting events and press coverage, with sample advertisements for Park Royal.

The fonds is arranged into the following series:
Series 1: Photographs
Series 2: Scrapbooks

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Finding aids

Associated / related material

Accruals

Other notes

Standard number area

Standard number

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Control area

Description record identifier

Institution identifier

Rules or conventions

Rules for Archival Description

Status

Final

Level of detail

Full

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Created March 2010

Language of description

Script of description

Sources

Accession area

Actions