Frederick Snare Corporation
Corporate brand
UnclaimedFrederick Snare Corporation was an American engineering and construction firm known for major infrastructure, transportation, waterfront, industrial, and public-works projects in the United States and Cuba.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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History
Frederick Snare Corporation began as the Snare & Triest Company, founded in 1898 by Frederick Snare and Wolfgang Gustav Triest. Snare was an engineer and business leader, while Triest was associated with civil engineering and bridge construction. The partnership was formally incorporated in 1900, with Snare as president. The company remained privately held and developed a multi-city presence that included Philadelphia, New York, Havana, Lima, and Colombia. Its early business model combined engineering expertise with construction execution. Rather than concentrating on one narrow building category, the company accepted technically demanding contracts involving bridges, piers, terminals, railways, power plants, sugar mills, foundations, and other major civil works. This broad capability allowed it to work for public authorities, transportation operators, industrial clients, and military agencies. Cuba was a major area of activity. The company established a headquarters there and became involved in the expansion of Havana’s urban and transportation infrastructure. In 1912 it built Havana Central railway station. During the middle of the 1910s it worked on Havana streetcar railways, and in 1918 it was involved in construction of the Víbora Sub Station. The company’s Cuban portfolio later included the Nicaro nickel processing plant, built in 1942, and Estadio Latinoamericano, Havana’s national sports stadium, completed in 1946. It is also associated with the Habana Hilton, opened in 1958. The business acquired a family dimension when Frederick Snare’s son, Frederick Snare Jr., joined around 1912 and became a company executive in 1919. Around 1921, Snare and Triest ended their partnership. Triest subsequently established Triest Contracting Corporation in New York, specializing in subway and bridge construction, while the Snare organization adopted the name Frederick Snare Corporation Contracting Engineers in the early 1920s. The firm’s United States work included important New York-area waterfront and transportation facilities. Documented construction projects included Whitehall Street Ferry Terminal, the Battery Maritime Building, Southwark Municipal Piers, Chelsea Piers, and the West Side Highway. Its bridge-engineering record included work connected with the Triborough Bridge, Bronx–Whitestone Bridge, Rip Van Winkle Bridge, Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge, Newburgh–Beacon Bridge, Severn River Bridge, and Sarah Mildred Long Bridge. In the 1930s, the New York organization won the contract to build the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. The company also undertook defense-related construction during the Second World War. In July 1940, the United States Navy awarded it a contract connected with development of a naval operating base at Guantánamo Bay. The Nicaro nickel facility, completed in 1942, further illustrates the company’s role in strategic industrial infrastructure. The available historical record documents projects through the late 1950s but does not establish when Frederick Snare Corporation ceased operating, whether it was reorganized, or whether a successor retained its name or assets. Its present status is therefore unknown. Historically, the company is best understood as a transnational engineering and construction contractor whose identity was defined by infrastructure delivery rather than by consumer products.
- 1958
Habana Hilton associated with company portfolio
[1]The company is listed among the builders associated with Havana’s Habana Hilton.
- 1946
Estadio Latinoamericano completed
[1]Frederick Snare Corporation executed construction of Havana’s national sports stadium.
- 1942
Nicaro nickel processing plant
[1]The company completed work on the Nicaro nickel processing plant in Cuba.
- 1940
Guantánamo naval-base contract
[1]The United States Navy awarded the company a contract related to development of a naval operating base at Guantánamo Bay.
- 1921
Snare and Triest separate
[1]Frederick Snare and Wolfgang Gustav Triest ended their business association; Triest later founded Triest Contracting Corporation.
- 1918
Víbora Sub Station work
[1]The company participated in construction of Havana’s Víbora Sub Station.
- 1912
Havana Central railway station completed
[1]The company built Havana’s principal railway terminal and expanded its involvement in Cuban infrastructure.
- 1900
Partnership incorporated
[1]The Snare & Triest Company was incorporated, with Frederick Snare serving as president.
- 1898
Snare & Triest Company established
[1]Frederick Snare and Wolfgang Gustav Triest formed the engineering and construction partnership that became the foundation of Frederick Snare Corporation.
Products and positioning
A privately held, project-based engineering and construction firm specializing in complex infrastructure and public-works contracts, with a particularly strong historical presence in New York and Cuba.
Infrastructure construction
Bridge engineering and construction
Bridge work formed one of the company’s principal capabilities. Its documented portfolio included the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, Triborough Bridge, Bronx–Whitestone Bridge, Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge, Newburgh–Beacon Bridge, Severn River Bridge, and Sarah Mildred Long Bridge. These projects positioned the firm as a contractor for large-span transportation infrastructure and associated structural works.
Transportation infrastructure
Railway and streetcar infrastructure
The company constructed and supported urban and intercity transportation facilities, particularly in Cuba. Its best-known railway assignment was Havana Central railway station, completed in 1912. It also participated in the construction of Havana streetcar railways during the 1910s.
Waterfront construction
Waterfront and ferry facilities
Frederick Snare Corporation built or worked on major waterfront facilities, including Whitehall Street Ferry Terminal, the Battery Maritime Building, Southwark Municipal Piers, and Chelsea Piers. These assignments involved marine structures, passenger circulation, terminals, and urban waterfront engineering.
Industrial construction
Industrial and power facilities
The firm handled industrial construction and complex foundation work, including power plants, sugar mills, and the Nicaro nickel processing plant in Cuba. Such projects required integrated civil, structural, and site-engineering capabilities rather than conventional building construction alone.
Building construction
Public, military, and institutional buildings
Beyond transportation and industrial work, the company executed or participated in major public and institutional projects. These included Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana, the Habana Hilton, and construction associated with a United States naval operating base at Guantánamo Bay.
Brand decisions
1921
Separate the Snare and Triest businessesStrategyBackground
After more than two decades as business partners, Frederick Snare and Wolfgang Gustav Triest decided to pursue separate organizations around 1921.
Action taken
Triest established Triest Contracting Corporation in New York, while the Snare organization continued under the Frederick Snare Corporation Contracting Engineers name.
Aftermath
The separation ended the original partnership but allowed both principals to continue operating in infrastructure construction under distinct corporate identities.
Sources1 sources
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