Renowned neuroscientists Pat and Edith McGeer have lived in their West Point Grey home since 1960.

The house was built in 1912-1913, and is listed in the Vancouver Heritage Register as an A category, meaning it’s of primary significance.

However, getting listed in the register does not protect a property from alterations and demolition.

The McGeers don’t want any of that happening to their home, and so they have asked the City of Vancouver to designate their 4727 West 2^nd Avenue property as a protected heritage property.

The proposed designation covers the exterior of the home.

A staff report to city council notes that the approval of the heritage designation of the exterior of the McGeer residence “will ensure that the heritage building is protected from exterior alterations which affect its heritage value, and from demolition”.

“They have indicated that they want the designation to ensure that the heritage building will be protected as a heritage property for the long-term,” wrote Jason Olinek, acting assistant director of planning.

The McGeers received the Order of British Columbia in 2005 for their work in neuroscience.

Pat McGeer is also a former politician. He sat in the B.C. legislative assembly, and was an ex-leader of the B.C. Liberal Party. He was also a Social Credit cabinet minister.

According Olinek’s report, the residence is “valued as a very good example of early Craftsman design that is notably early in the development of West Point Grey”.

“The early Craftsman style of the heritage building is reflected in the use of river rock, large wooden posts and brackets, and stucco cladding,” Olinek explained. “It features a central-set front porte-cochere, decorative ‘buttresses’ and river rock pillars, a deep inset entry porch, leaded glass windows, an open porch on the west side and the original single car garage on the east side.”

The proposed heritage designation is scheduled to go to a public hearing on Tuesday (July 9).