Landmark Down
For New Structure
Snyder Building a Barber Shop for 64 years.
225 S. Main
[Ottawa Herald, 06 Aug 1941, page 1, column 5]
The days of another Main street landmark were numbered with the announcement today by W. A. Snyder of plans to tear down his building at 225 South Main and construct a new fire-proof structure on the site.
The contractors estimate on the costs is $2,000. Orral Staneart is contractor.
One of the first, if not the first stone building on Main street, the present structure owned by Snyder was here when Dr. H. W. Gilley came to Ottawa in 1869. At that time it was owned by J. W. DeFord, an attorney who had his office upstairs. The north side downstairs was occupied as a barber shop by the late Andy Johnson for 32 years and three months. He retired in 1909 and the shop was taken over by a son, Theodore Johnson, who now is living in Chase, Kans.
In July of 1912 Snyder began working for Theodore Johnson and bought the shop from him in 1915. Snyder has been at that location since except for a short time when it was occupied by T. L. Ricketts. Thus, the building has been a barber shop site for more than 64 years, and the elder Johnson told Snyder that a shop was there when he came to Ottawa some years before that.
The south half of the building was occupied by Jacob Bouvy, a shoe maker and owner of the property, from 1887 until 1929. Snyder bought it from the Bouvy estate in 1929. This half has been occupied by several restaurants the last 30 or 35 years.
When the new building is completed the north side will be occupied by the barber shop and the south side will be for rent. During the 30 to 60 days that the building is under construction Snyder will move his barber shop to another location, as yet unannounced.