Martin-Little House
Why it's listed
Llewellyn Martin built the original section of this house in about 1735 in Phoenixville, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is a one-and-one-half-story salt-box dwelling of stucco over stone with a single room on the first floor and a loft above, and a massive chimney at the south gable end. Roger Little added a two-and-one-half-story wing perpendicular to the north elevation about 1810, five bays across the front, with a gable roof and a chimney at each gable end. A two-story kitchen wing was attached to the east end of the addition later in the nineteenth century, and frame additions followed in the 1960s and mid-twentieth century. The house is significant for the early date and unusual character of its 1735 section, which may have served as a stagecoach stop and post office along the old post road, now vacated. Its growth over three centuries, responding to the road's changing orientation and its owners' prosperity, is presented as a typical local pattern of adding a larger wing to an earlier house.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is architecturally significant because of the early date and unique character of its 1735 portion, which may have served as a stagecoach stop and post office along the old post road. Its pattern of growth, with a much larger early nineteenth-century wing added perpendicular to an eighteenth-century house, is presented as representative of a common area practice.
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 73001611, listed July 2, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | S of Phoenixville off PA 113 on Church Rd., Charlestown Township, Phoenixville |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | July 2, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001611 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Ca. 1735 |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 40.08427, -75.56382 (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 73001611.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6774827
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.