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Page 6 a Vancouver MP and also Minister for Trade and Commerce. They had Looked at the proposal to buy land in VJest Vancouver and to build a bridge across the First Narrows. The land, itself, totalled about 4000 acres and extended from the east boundary of the British Properties (Rabbit Lane) to the bluff overlooking Horseshoe Bay. It v?as nearly all above what is now the Upper Levels Highway and extended up the hillside to about 1300 feet above sea level. The land had reverted to the Municipality and had become available for tax sale. The Municipality did not own all the land in that area. The figure seems to be about 857=,. British Pacific Properties v;as incorporated in October 1931 after the return of Mr. Greenwood and Mr. Bland, and the company then purchased the land. The agreement was that the Company should pay $75,000 for the Land and that they should spend $1,000,000.00 - pre-war dollars - in creating a subdivision and the Capilano Golf Course. Mr. Taylor and the wealthy families behind British Pacific Properties realized that the way to make this community readily available to downtown Vancouver was to build a bridge across the First Narrows. Mr. Taylor had a great battle with the Federal Government. At first, the Provincial Government and Vancouver were against him but later they swung over in support. He had to wait until there was a change of government in Ottawa before the necessary permissions were given. Construction of the bridge as a privately financed toll bridge commenced in 1936. It vjas completed in 1938 and officially opened by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during their visit to Canada in the spring of 1939. The construction included the causeway through Stanley Park and Taylor Way up to the British Properties' subdivision. The subdivision was designed by Olmstead Brothers, a famous American firm of landscape architects who had designed Central Park in New York and the grounds of the White House. The design gave 450 lots of about 1 1/4 acres each and the original road layout was designed for a subdivision of that character - very large lots, lots of space. The golf course was designed by Stanley Thompson of Toronto. Work started in 1932-33 and by the time the bridge was opened it had cost about $6,000,000.00 and another $2,000,000.00 had been spent in creating the subdivision and the Capilano Golf Course. The golf course was opened in 1939. Very few of the lots were sold prior to, or during. World V7ar II. Mr. Taylor V7as the driving force behind the company during these years. After the bridge was finished, he resigned from the company and during World War II gave his services to the Government. Mr. Willoughby, who was to take an increasing role in the company's affairs for the next 26 years and finally became its Managing Director, joined the company in 1939. When the war ended, the company took another look at British Properties and came to the conclusion that it would not sell. The lots were far too large and not enough attention had been paid to views. Additional roads were put in so that smaller Lots could be provided. It was not the most efficient way of creating a subdivision. Trees were removed to open up the views. The area, in fact, was clear cut - something not easy to believe when one sees the area today. Aerial photographs at that time show completely bare hillside. VJith these changes lots started to sell in the early '50s at prices in the region of $2000.00 to $5000.00 which were regarded as the top limit for lot sales. The bridge was sold to the Provincial Government in 1954 and the Golf Course v;as sold to its- members in 1955. Chartwell Subdivisions, west of the British Properties were carried out in the 1960s and 1970s. In the '80s, Westhill and Cypress Ridge subdivisions were created followed by the Chartwell extension; Camelot Subdivision; and the first phase of the Canterbury Subdivision.