Massapequa Hotel

 The Massapequa Hotel, located two blocks south of Merrick Road on Ocean Avenue was built by Joseph Snedeker in 1888 and was designed to attract wealthy New York City residents. 

When completed, it contained three hundred rooms, making it one of the largest hotels in the country. It had a large central parlor and dining room serving sumptuous meals, a wraparound balcony, a bowling alley, riding stables, a beach and proximity to a golf course. Originally accessible from the Farmingdale station, it became even easier to reach when the Massapequa station was completed in 1888. Carriages brought down customers who stayed for days or weeks at a time. If the main hotel was filled, they could stay in one of the "cottages" built nearby. These were Victorian-style structures that patrons would easily find attractive.

One of the more unusual features of the hotel was the existence of a bathing beach, known as Billy's Beach (Billy was Mr. Snedeker's son), located on South Oyster Bay a few blocks south of the main hotel.

Despite its size, or perhaps because of it, the Massapequa Hotel was never a profitable endeavor. In the years immediately prior to World War I, Queens Land and Title Company endeavored to attract city dwellers to its "new city" on Long Island. It bought large pieces of property between Broadway and Hicksville Road, laid out streets and ran trains to attract potential homebuyers. It also convinced the newly-created Nassau County government to widen and smooth Merrick Road to accommodate a new apparatus called the automobile. These developments lessened the area's "wild" character and made it more difficult for Snedeker to attract customers.

By 1916 the Massapequa Hotel was forced to close. Ironically, a section of the hotel lived on when it was moved to Hicksville and Merrick Roads and became part of Panchard's Hotel, which lasted until 1952. Several of the cottages, including Snedeker's residence, with a large "S" affixed to the south wall, still stand on Ocean Avenue.

The Historical Society of the Massapequas recognized the uniqueness of the Massapequa Hotel and erected a historical marker in 2008.

 

Source:

Kirchmann, George. “Massapequa Hotel.” Massapequa, NY Patch, Patch, 8 May 2013, patch.com/new-york/massapequa/massapequa-hotel