Originally known as Capilano Estates, the British Properties is a residential area in

West Vancouver West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, West Vancouver is situated on the north shore of Burrard Inlet to the northwest of the city ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The 4,000 acre area was sold by the municipality of West Vancouver to the British Pacific Properties Corporation in 1931, which continues to develop the land to the present day. The development is credited with starting West Vancouver's slow transformation from a ferry-access only, resort-style beachside enclave into a leafy suburban community with roads, parks, and shopping centres.

History

In 1931, the British Pacific Properties, a corporation consisting of a group of investors led by the Guinness brewing company, acquired 4,000 acres of land from the municipality of West Vancouver stretching from the

Capilano River The Capilano River flows from north to south through the Coast Mountains on the North Shore of the Burrard Inlet between British Columbia's district municipalities of West Vancouver and North Vancouver and empties into Burrard Inlet, opposite Sta ...

to Horseshoe Bay. The land was purchased during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, when the municipality was nearing bankruptcy due to residents being unable to pay property taxes. The Guinness family, led by Walter Guinness committed to funding $1 million in local improvements over a five-year period and constructing the

Lions Gate Bridge The Lions Gate Bridge, opened in 1938 and officially known as the First Narrows Bridge, is a suspension bridge that crosses the First Narrows (Vancouver), first narrows of Burrard Inlet and connects the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, to ...

. The corporation ended up paying $75,000 to the municipality for the land with the agreement of $1 million in improvements. West Vancouver 1942 15th Ottawa William Mcphee

West Vancouver 1942 15th Ottawa William Mcphee

The original landscaping was designed by the prestigious Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm from

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. Olmsted Brothers was founded by

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822 – August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, Social criticism, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the U ...

—the father of North American landscape architecture and the creator of Central Park in Manhattan, Mount Royal in Montreal, and the innovative Riverside suburb in West Chicago. The majority of residential development took place between 1955 and 1985 with some development prior and after this time period. British Properties is often compared to the Hollywood and Beverly Hills in California.

Ethnic restrictions

The neighbourhood was known for its strict

whites White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...

-only policy. Property titles including covenants such as barring sales to "any person or persons of African or Asiatic race or of African or Asiatic descent." Jewish people were also excluded, although, eventually, the first

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

in West Vancouver was built opposite the entrance to the British Properties. In modern times, the resident population is diverse due to the property values and other factors attracting Asian and other international investors. It is said that residents are just as likely to speak

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

as they are to speak English.

References

External links

* {{coord, 49, 21, 00, N, 123, 08, 00, W, display=title Neighbourhoods in West Vancouver