Roche, Martin-John Tait House
Also known as: Tait--Elston House
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Built in 1888 on Chicago's South Side, this three-story house at 3614 South Martin Luther King Drive was designed by architect Martin Roche for his sister Bridget and her husband John Tait. Roche lived in a third-floor suite until 1917. Its flat, red sandstone front in the Romanesque Revival manner contrasts with the ornate Queen Anne limestone rowhouses beside it. Roche used steel pipe columns and beams to carry the wide front span, an early residential use of steel linked to his work on commercial buildings with the firm Holabird & Roche. Inside, tiled fireplaces, carved woodwork, pocket doors, stenciling and an original tiled bathroom survive. The house became a three-flat in the 1940s, hiding some features, but a recent rehabilitation restored the staircase and other original elements and returned it to single-family use. The exterior has not been altered.
Significance in brief: The house was designed by Martin Roche, a leading partner in the Chicago architecture firm Holabird & Roche, as a home for his brother-in-law's family and himself. Its flat red sandstone front differs sharply from the neighboring Queen Anne rowhouses. It also shows an early residential use of steel structure, tied to Roche's experiments in commercial buildings, and retains much original interior detail.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 00001338, listed November 8, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3614 S. Martin Luther King Dr., Chicago |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | November 8, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00001338 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Martin Roche (Holabird & Roche); John Tait, cut stone contractor; William Mavor, carpentry |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Converted to a three-flat in the 1940s, then reconverted to a single-family residence and rehabilitated; the exterior is unaltered and the building remains a single dwelling. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.82947, -87.61770 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 00001338.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q30589614
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.