[7] Snyder married Harriet Katharine (or Katherine) de Vries on September 11, 1889, at the home of the bride's parents in Jersey City Heights.

[11] At its last meeting of the school year on July 8, 1891, the New York City Board of Education elected Snyder as Superintendent of Buildings to succeed George W. Debevoise after his resignation.

[12] While Snyder initially oversaw Manhattan and The Bronx, the 1898 consolidation of Greater New York[13] elevated him to the ultimate role of Superintendent of School Buildings for the entire city.

Snyder's H-plan improved the overall environmental quality by, among other things, allowing generous light and fresh air into classrooms.

[20] Snyder worked in several styles, including Beaux Arts, English Collegiate Gothic, Jacobean, and Dutch Colonial.

One of his signature motifs was to design spaces for learning that would offer a respite from noisy streets and poverty.

[21] Snyder joined the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers in 1895, served on its Board of Governors from 1900 to 1904, and was elected President in 1907.

Snyder died November 14, 1945, with his son, Robert, when they were overcome with natural gas poisoning, or carbon monoxide, or both, in their cottage in Babylon, New York.

Apparently, upon retiring for the evening, the Snyders had lit the burners on the range oven to heat the rooms; but during the night the flame had been extinguished, possibly by a draft.