John Taylor Snite House

The John Taylor Snite House is an architecturally-significant house in Highland Park, Illinois, United States. It was built for John Taylor Snite, a prominent businessman and sailor.HistoryThe Snite house was built in Braeside, one of the last areas on the east side of Highland Park, Illinois to be developed. The land had been in the possession of early settlers and wasn't sold for development until the 1920s. Baird & Warner was commissioned to subdivide the property that had belonged to Charles H. Deere (son of John Deere) in 1924. The Deere Park Subdivision was created that year with strict guidelines on what kinds of residences could be built.John Taylor and Katherine Snite purchased Lot 25 in Deere Park on January 6, 1936. Snite was the son of the founder of the Imperial Credit Corporation of Chicago. Snite would serve as Chief Financial Officer and president of the company. Snite was an avid sailor and wanted a house with a "ship room" to hold his yacht, The Bagheera, and his sailing trophies. The ship, designed by John Alden, sailed in the Bermuda Race and twice won the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac (1929 and 1932). Snite served as a sailing instructor at nearby Naval Station Great Lakes during World War II.