Snouder’s Drug Store:
A Prescription For Opportunity
Rarely does a week go by that I’m asked about the status of the building on the corner of West Main Street and South Street. It’s one of the most recognizable buildings in town, and with its three stories covered in shingles and siding painted light green, it’s hard to ignore. It’s the building locally known as Snouder’s and it’s been here a long time. Built sometime before 1884, the exact date is unknown, Abel Conklin moved his pharmacy business to this location. Later he would pass the business on to his son-in-law Andrew Snouder and for the next several generations the building would be known by that name.
But this article isn’t about the Snouder’s building exactly. It’s about understanding what it means to be a Town of Oyster Bay (TOB) landmark. Because, it seems to me, there are a lot of ideas about what can and cannot happen to buildings designated as TOB landmarks and I’d like to clear things up a bit. First off, just because a building is designated a TOB landmark does not mean it is necessarily on the list of National Historic Landmarks.
According to the National Park Service website (www.nps.gov/nhl), “the 2,500 properties designated as National Historic Landmarks tell stories that are of importance to the history of the entire nation, not just local communities or states.” This brings up an important point. Buildings get landmarked because citizens care about the preservation and future of said building. It’s all about the community and what people living in that community value as part of their history.
I am going to quote directly from the Town Code on Landmarks Preservation which you can find if you Google that exact phrase and look at the first hit. Let’s first remember that this is in effect for all of the Town of Oyster Bay and not just the hamlet. In order to have some oversight, the town has in place the Landmark Preservation Commission, which consists of six appointed members and the commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development (or his designee). What do they do? In the simplest of terms for the purpose of this article, they review applications for landmark status and approve or deny it. The commission “shall only review plans relating to the exterior features of a structure or building as are visible from the public way and shall have no jurisdiction to consider interior walls, arrangements or structures.” Article V (143.11) parts C and D seem to be of particular interest in the case of Snouder’s.
In summary, the commission wants the same materials to be used for alterations (wood instead of aluminum siding) and in the same architectural style, including any new construction. With the approval of the commission, plans go back to the Superintendent of the Division of Building for permits and things can move ahead. You really only seem to get into trouble if you let a landmarked building fall into disrepair—as that was the exact reason it was landmarked in the first place. I encourage all readers to take the time to read through the 11 pages to answer all questions from application to designation.
So what’s going to happen to Snouder’s? According to the Main Street Association, the biggest fear is that the building will start to fall down due to neglect. The building is on the market, and the town wants to work with future buyers on their concerns over permits, parking, etc. The lines of communication are open to bring this darling of the downtown into the 21st century.
Nicole Menchise is the librarian/archivist at the Oyster Bay Historical Society. Her degrees include studies in geography, cartography and history at the University of Memphis and library science at Long Island University, where she also received the Advanced Certificate in Archives and Records Management. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the North Shore Historical Museum located in the recently restored Glen Cove Justice’s Courthouse.
