Brick by brick, and tile by tile, the Franklin Building in downtown Watertown is coming back to life.

"To have this back with new store fronts and residential tenants, it will certainly add to the vibrant vitality of downtown," said Gary Beasley of Neighbors of Watertown.

The Franklin Building was once home to the YWCA, but now its old swimming pool is bone dry and about to become one of the building's new store fronts.

The building's second and third floors will be home to 16 new apartments.

They're state-of-the-art, but some things will look similar.

"I say 'upgrade' and take it back to an earlier time as well, and at the same time help bring back the character that was always here and made it alive and fun to be down here," said Beasley.

Many of the apartments have their original arched windows.

In the newly restored arcade, the classic tin ceilings remain.

Since Neighbors took on the restoration almost five years ago, it has discovered that it's a project that affects the bigger picture outside those historic windows.

City officials hope the streets below will see more foot traffic and that Public Square will be a better place for business to be.

"I think people want to feel good about where they live. Since we're making downtown a more amenable place to be, it makes people feel better about living here and investing," said Watertown Mayor Jeff Graham.

Two business have already claimed spots in the Franklin Building.

Neighbors of Watertown is aiming to complete the restoration by Thanksgiving.

Neighbors of Watertown