Thornhill’s Pharmacy has overlooked the center of Sayville from the corner of Main Street and Gillette Avenue for over a century. This is actually the second location of Sewell Thornhill’s establishment, opened in 1918. When architect Matthew La Piana and his wife were looking for an old building to restore and occupy, something about this thin slice of wood and stucco on its odd corner lot caught their eye.

On today’s episode, recorded over Zoom, Matthew describes his restoration journey – the discoveries in the attic, the problems under the many layers of flooring, and the decisions he made while bringing the building back to life. That includes the iconic neon sign that La Piana restored to its former glory.

Further Research

• Matthew La Piana
• The Dig with Elle McLogan
• The Buffalo History Museum Podcast
• Intro music: https://homegrownstringband.com/
• Outro music: Capering by Blue Dot Sessions CC BY-NC 4.0
• Audio Footnote
  • Episode 49 on Sayville architect Isaac Green