Edinburgh House, which was completed in 1950. These buildings stood on the sites of today's Edinburgh Tower and York House. At the same time, three old buildings on a triangular site formed by Des Voeux Road, Chater Road and Ice House Street — Alexandra Building, Royal Building and Chung Tin Building — were demolished to make way for the 13-storey Alexandra House. 1960s and 1970s By the mid-1960s, Hongkong Land owned nine office blocks as well as the shopping complex in Prince's Building and The Mandarin Hotel. These were connected by the first pedestrian bridge. Since then, Hongkong Land's buildings have been linked to one another, forming a network of commercial buildings. During the 1970s, the company began investing in international markets, building a portfolio of properties in Australia, Hawaii, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. The Group Chief Executive Vernon Robert's leadership during this period was the construction of the Connaught Centre. On 1 June 1970, the company paid a then world-record price of HK$258 million at a public auction for an important new central reclamation site. On completion in 1973, the 52-level, Connaught Centre was Hong Kong's largest and most advanced office block. It was renamed Jardine House on 1 January 1989. Redevelopment during the 1970s of Hongkong Land's "Central" portfolio began with the demolition of Alexandra House and the construction of what was to be the third building to bear that name on the site. The 36-level project, which was finished in 1976, was joined by Prince's Building, Swire House, The Mandarin Hotel and Connaught Centre by overhead walkways. Today, it forms a footbridge network connecting Hongkong Land's commercial portfolio. Hongkong Land developed residential properties in mid-levels, including May Tower in 1974 and Branksome in 1976. The company also acquired a tract of land in Pok Fu Lam and started construction of the Chi Fu Fa Yuen complex. This consisted of 20 towers with 4,258 flats, along with a shopping centre, restaurants and recreational facilities. 1980s and 1990s The 1980s saw Hongkong Land diversify from its usual property interests, as it bought significant shareholdings in Hong Kong Telephone Company Ltd and Hong Kong Electric Holdings Ltd. In 1982, Hongkong Land acquired the last major site available in Central with a bid of HK$4.7 billion and began construction of the first phase of Exchange Square. It was the largest commercial complex in the territory at the time and the