The Chicago home of the beloved 1990s sitcom Family Matters will be demolished and replaced with a new residential project.
Even though the iconic show was filmed in California on sets, the house in Chicago at 1516 W. Wrightwood Avenue was just as important to the show as Carl and Harriette Winslow, Steve Urkel and the rest of the cast.
In April, the city approved a permit to "wreck and remove a two-story frame multi-unit residence" after already approving the demolition of the detached garage.
1) Fuck gentrification.
2) Did anyone at DNA Info actually watch Family Matters? "Urkel's house"…?
3) Seriously…fuck gentrification. https://t.co/muyvTpadvi— Black ok? (@_hoemo) September 21, 2017
I just feel like this house is apart of history. That should be illegal. https://t.co/6d0R8xFdB4
— ENDIGO. ???????? (@AllAboutENDIGO) September 21, 2017
The owner Coldwell Banker's Lissa Weinstein said that there is a plan to build a three-unit residence on the lot.
"Prior to purchasing the property, they evaluated whether saving the house was a possibility and ultimately determined to renovate the home wasn't a viable option," Weinstein said Wednesday. "In honoring the site's past, they plan to decorate the entry with framed photographs of the original house and the show's beloved cast."
The A.V. Club pointed out that house has succumbed to several structural issues. So the move is expected but still disappointing.
