Charles Cooper, a factory manager, and his wife, Elizabeth, commissioned construction of 1226 Sheffield Street in 1880. The house was built in the Second Empire style, typified by its mansard roof and by its prominent window hoods, arched window openings and decorative brackets.
Charles and Elizabeth were both born in Lancaster but moved with their family to Pittsburgh in 1860. They had six children. Four are known to have lived at 1226 Sheffield Street.
Charles Cooper worked as a clerk, bookkeeper and factory manager for Hostetter & Smith, a manufacturer of stomach bitters in Downtown Pittsburgh. He lived at 1226 Sheffield Street until he died in 1918 at age 95.
Two of Cooper’s children, Andrew Cooper and Pauline Cooper Keys, acquired 1226 Sheffield Street from their father’s estate in 1919. Andrew lived in the house for another two years but they sold the house in 1921. The former Cooper home has now had a total of five owners.