Historical records indicate that Robert Hood, along with his business partner, Joseph Smith, constructed a double house at 1417-1419 Sheffield Street in 1874. This house, as well as the adjacent 1413-1415 Sheffield (also constructed by the firm of Hood & Smith in or about 1874) was built in the Italianate style. Side-gabled roofs, arched door and window openings, prominent or projecting door and window hoods and decorative brackets supporting box gutters characterize Italianate house exteriors. Interior details associated with this architectural style, and evident within the house, include a flared newel post, marble (or wood) mantels with arched openings, four-panel doors with porcelain knobs and ornamented cast iron hinges and two-over-two double hung windows. Houses in this architectural style continued to be built in Pittsburgh until around 1885.
Robert Hood died in 1875 at the age of 39 or 40. His widow, Margaret and their three children lived at 1220 Liverpool at the time of his death. By 1879 Margaret and her children had left Liverpool Street and moved to 1419 Sheffield Street. The Hood family remained there until 1884-1885, after which time they moved next door to the house at 1417 Sheffield. Margaret sold 1419 to Frederick Wayman in 1893 while continuing to occupy 1417 until 1897.