Edith and Pat McGeer Residence

Likely built between 1915 and 1921, 4727 West 2nd Avenue first appears in city directories in 1921, with the first listed resident being Robert Hunter. Hunter worked as a secretary treasurer and later general manager for Restmore Manufacturing Company Ltd., where his son, Robert Jr. also worked as a salesman. Hunter remained at the house until 1943.

The house is in the early Craftsman style. Located along West 2nd Avenue west of Blanca Street in West point grey, the house has seen continuous residential use. Characteristic features include: the main floor set slightly above grade; the form, scale and massing exemplified by its rectangular shape; the two-storey chamfered side-gabled roof with “roll-over” edges; the gabled porte-cochere framed by river rock pillars and; the simple brackets and decorative medallions set in the gables.

The house is also significant due to its association with Edith and Patrick McGeer, two of the world’s most cited neuroscientists. Renowned for their research into Alzheimer’s, Pat’s competing in the 1948 Summer Olympics, and his political career, they were inducted as Officers of the Order of Canada in 1995, jointly inducted as Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada in 2002, and in 2005, they were awarded the Order of British Columbia.

The house was added to the Vancouver Heritage Register in 2019 as an A-listing.

Source

City of Vancouver Report 2018, VanMap, British Columbia City Directories 1860-1955

More information

http://aurinbiotech.com/ , https://www.straight.com/life/1100711/91-year-old-scientist-and-ex-cabinet-minister-pat-mcgeers-company-obtains-us-patent-new , https://drsmcgeer.com/