NORM JOHNSTON / WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES

Gary C. Beasley, executive director of Neighbors of Watertown, stands in the hallway where the original walkway and stairs were uncovered in the old Franklin Building now undergoing renovation.

NORM JOHNSTON / WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES

North country paper industry pioneer George C. Sherman, along with his wife, Alice, contributed $87,000 to the YWCA.

NORM JOHNSTON / WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES

The exterior of the Franklin Building shows the old drugstore's signage on the Public Square side of the structure.

A piece of early 20th century Watertown has been "excavated" on Public Square as Neighbors of Watertown makes way for the future.

Franklin Arcade, which apparently never rivaled the historic Paddock Arcade as a commercial success story in the heyday of downtown, gradually reappeared before the eyes of construction workers over the past year. As partitions, floors and the old swimming pool of the former YWCA were removed, the original concrete promenade and stairs that long ago gave pedestrians a shortcut from the Square to Franklin Street were discovered.

So too were some long-hidden windows and door frames. And on the Square, the overhead sign for the old Franklin Arcade Drug Store, hidden for 80 to 90 years, once again, but only briefly, became visible to human eyes.

Work is running ahead of schedule, said Gary C. Beasley, executive director of Neighbors of Watertown, as he looks to a Dec. 31 deadline for bringing back to 50 Public Square a combined business and residential edifice. In the new Franklin Building, "We are renovating the historic shell," Mr. Beasley said, "and we are putting back storefronts."

There will be three on Public Square, four on Franklin Street, and the potential for five commercial sites along the interior walkway. Upper split-level floors will accommodate 16 apartments.

And pedestrian traffic to a Franklin Street entryway will be restored.

Crawford & Stearns of Syracuse is the architectural firm for the project, which is funded by "a whole menu" of investors and federal and state grants, Mr. Beasley said.

Although this $9 million Franklin Building of the 21st century will preserve some of the original structure, it clearly would not be recognized by the folks who passed through between 1905 and 1920, given its elevator, handicapped-friendly construction and modern, efficient means of heating and air conditioning.

"This is the most complicated building we have ever done," Mr. Beasley said. "There was so much alteration over the years."

Part of the problem facing today's workers was the same that builders dealt with in 1905: the difference in elevations between Public Square and Franklin Street. The recently discovered stairway near the southeast end of the original walkway helped resolve that issue for the original erectors of Franklin Arcade.

The arcade rose on land formerly occupied by the First Universalist Church and a hotel, the Harris House, built in the 1820s. The latter had become an eyesore, and its leveling was cheered in a 1904 editorial.

Watertown architect David D. Kieff drew up the plans for the new arcade, which was intended to house four stores facing Public Square, four on the Franklin Street side and 10 along the enclosed promenade. Offices and apartments were targeted for the structure's upper levels.

Old Watertown city directories indicate there were few mainstays during the 17-year life of Franklin Arcade. Citizens Telephone Co. set up a toll station when the building was new, but that was gone a year later. The Ice Company of Watertown settled in for a 10-year stay beginning in 1907, and was joined for a similar duration by insurance agents Inglehart & Stone, later Inglehart & Fuller.

Emma E. Hill and Minnie McAuley moved in for a 1907 debut of their millinery shop. Miss Hill proved to be the most loyal of renters, staying until 1920, when the last remnants of Franklin Arcade passed into history.

The Watertown Hotel Co., owner of the arcade, fell into a judgment of foreclosure in July 1918. Jefferson County Savings Bank quickly sold the property to the YWCA.

One of the bank's trustees, north country paper industry pioneer George C. Sherman, along with his wife, Alice, contributed $87,000 to the YWCA, enabling the organization to make the purchase. The couple also donated furnishings for the Y, and held the association's $77,000 mortgage, which they eventually forgave.

Mr. Sherman had little time to see the product of his generosity. He died at age 58 in 1920.

While construction began for the new YWCA, portions of the arcade remained open until July 1, 1920. By then, the work had progressed to the point where continued use of the arcade was considered a danger to the public. The thoroughfare to Franklin Street was closed, to be tucked away for 90 years.

Planners wanted to avoid providing a free passageway, believing it would be impossible to break the habits of pedestrians who for so long had frequented this path. They didn't realize at the time that if the walkway were kept open for 20 years, a state law would have kept it open.

Construction of a gymnasium and a swimming pool for the new Y contributed to the disappearance of the walkway.

The new Y enjoyed an early success, at least in numbers, as membership grew to 2,500 in 1923. The association stepped up during the Depression, providing free lunches in its cafeteria, thanks to assistance from the Kiwanis and Rotary clubs.

As decades passed, management of the Y was unable to keep pace with the demands of its building. By the early 1990s, personnel were using child-size swimming pools to collect water that during heavy rainfall leaked through a roof that was in dire need of repair.

The financially strapped organization put 50 Public Square up for sale in 1994, asking $250,000. With no takers, the price dropped drastically to $50,000. Unable to pay dues to the national association, the Watertown YWCA lost its affiliation in February 1997.

The deteriorating building was renamed the Watertown Pool. After funding could not be obtained for upkeep, the city of Watertown condemned the building for occupancy in December 2001.