Carlyle owner builds stairs to Pocatello’s past

On Tuesday morning, Michael Snyder trudged up the brand new set of stairs in the back of the old Carlyle building, carrying a box, holding the last load of champagne.

Snyder bought the building nearly a decade ago, and since then, turned the first floor into what he calls “probably the largest antique store in all of Idaho.”

Despite Old Town Mercantile’s endless sea of antiquated, unique gems that has drawn-in folks from across the country, the real find was what has been hiding upstairs for more than 100 years.

Snyder unlocked the key to Pocatello’s past, finding the top floor of the Carlyle was an old hotel that went out of business in the 1970s.

Built in 1908, the Carlyle building is the oldest building in Pocatello, and in 1927 was home to O.P. Skaggs Meat and Grocery on the first floor, and the Carlyle Hotel on the second floor.

Snyder found so many of the original pieces from the hotel, he replicated what one of the rooms would have looked like in one of the former hotel rooms. Across the hall, he turned another former room into a mini museum which displays the iconic history of Pocatello.

Along with his effort to preserve Old Town’s history, he has old sinks, windows, etc. from the original building on display.

And to all you building enthusiasts out there, I know what you’re going to ask, and the answer is ‘yes’ – he did, in fact, keep the original flooring.

There will be a ribbon cutting and groundbreaking for the newly-displayed portion of the Carlyle Hotel tonight at 5 PM at the Old Town Mercantile store located at 134 N. Main Street.