154 W. Superior

Once a part of a series of row houses that were completed soon after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, today 154 W. Superior is the lone survivor, surrounded by towering high-rise buildings.

154 W. Superior was saved by Gregory Cooper, who bought the home in the 1980s and turned down offers from developers over the decades.

After Cooper’s death in 2015, the fate of the house remained in question until Panter Associates Architecture purchased the building and converted it to office space for their client, Ceres Partners. Not much of the interior could be saved due to several interior renovations over the years, but the architects took care to salvage what they could for future use in the space.

154 W. Superior is a little house full of Chicago history and inspiration. It is often colloquially referred to as Chicago’s “Up” house, in reference to the Pixar movie of the same name which is based on the Edith Macefield home in Seattle.