West Block, 8 Tait's Lane, Dundee

West Block, 8 Tait’s Lane, Dundee is a circa 1860, three-storey tenement building constructed of rubble. The building is divided into three blocks, each separated by prominent ridge stacks, and originally provided 18 flats. The building is notable for retaining its “pletties” or “platties” – recessed balconies.

The south elevation features two free-standing, semi-circular stair towers. These towers provide access to first and second-floor flats via the pletties, which feature stone-flagged balconies supported by narrow steel brackets and wrought-iron railings. One stair serves a single tenement, containing two flats per pletty, with paired doors flanked by a slit window and a single main window. The other stair serves a double tenement, containing four flats per pletty. The windows on this elevation are arranged in a 1-2-1, 1-2-1 pattern between the doors, with slit windows adjacent to the doorways.

The north elevation has a twelve-window front. The west tenement has two single-light windows and a pair of central slit windows. On the east and centre tenements, windows are grouped in pairs, situated between tall centre wallhead stacks. The west gable shows off-centre single-light windows; a blocked door is present at ground floor level. The roof is slate-covered with gable end, ridge, and wallhead stacks. The windows are predominantly 4-pane sash and case, with some alterations having occurred.

The building is historically significant as one of the least altered examples of a mid-19th century Dundee tenement, retaining its original stacks and lacking later water closet towers.