Majestically towering over Central Avenue and 4th Street, the iconic Snell Building is a monument to one of the city’s most prolific developers. Originally part of the Durant Block, and later known as Mitchell’s Corner when Noel Mitchell moved his real estate office to the wooden structure, the corner gained fame when Mitchell placed orange benches – forerunner to St. Pete’s famous green benches – on the sidewalk. Developer C. Perry Snell purchased the corner lot from Mitchell in 1914 for $100,000 and in 1926, began construction on the structure that still amazes today with its architecture and construction detail. Famous for its Snell Arcade – a walkway cutting through the building connecting Central Avenue to the Open Air Post Office – the building also has a full basement and at the time, a roof-top, open-air bar named Spanish Bob’s. From ornate exterior carvings and European tiles and statuary to an Italian tile mosaic of Baldassare Longhea’s Santa Maria della Salute in the Arcade, it’s easy to see how Snell spent $750,000 to construct the building in 1926. The Snell Building is currently on the National Register of Historic Places. This photo, as well as other historic St. Pete images are available at HistoryStpete.org.
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