Justin Sorensen/Watertown Daily Times

Wing Wagon owners Charles G. and Mary Ann Wert, shown Thursday, refurbished the facade of their Public Square restaurant with the help of a Neighbors of Watertown grant.

Justin Sorensen/Watertown Daily Times

The facade at the Wing Wagon building, 71-73 Public Square, before the renovation. The work was done over the fall.

FACADE GRANTS: More work coming on Public Square

The look of the old white stucco exterior at Wing Wagon and its longtime large, bright yellow sign are long gone.

Thanks to help from a grant from Neighbors of Watertown, they've been replaced by a facade that hearkens to a more historical appearance featured when owners Mary Ann and Charles G. Wert purchased the building 28 years ago at 71-73 Public Square.

The work, which began in September and finished several weeks later, also included major renovations to three upstairs apartments.

It's part of a facade improvement program that's resulting in a face-lift for several historic downtown buildings, mostly on the northeast side of Public Square. With the help of a $200,000 state grant from NY Main Street, about a half-dozen building exteriors will be going through the same kind of extreme makeovers.

Reginald J. Schweitzer, Neighbors' deputy director, said an influx of an additional $256,000 has been allocated by the Watertown Local Development Corp. — also known as the Watertown Trust — for the projects, which all should be completed by midsummer.

"I'm very pleased with the way it turned out," Mrs. Wert said, adding that it created such a different look that some longtime customers of the chicken wings takeout restaurant don't recognize the building.

That has caused some confusion, because those customers thought Wing Wagon closed, was sold or had a fire because the windows were boarded up during construction. Even with that mix-up, she said, she's still satisfied with the results and would do it again.

"We're not going anywhere," Mrs. Wert said, thanking customers in a letter to the Watertown Daily Times for their 28 years of loyalty.

Other downtown buildings receiving facade improvements are Rent-A-Zone, the former Apex Army & Navy, the Franklin Building, the now vacant Liberty Ice Cream and Tico's Mex Mex Grill. The projects include installing new signs and storefront and upper-floor windows, painting, making improvements to cornices and replacing doors. Some of that work should start in the next several weeks.

Mr. Schweitzer said the program will help with crucial revitalization efforts around both Public Square and the entire downtown, crediting the Trust for providing the extra money for the projects.

"It's an opportunity we have to preserve the heritage of our downtown," he said, noting that the buildings date to the 1850s and 1900s. "It's going to be a heck of difference in the visualization on the northeast side of Public Square."

Brent J. Lewis, who owns Rent-A-Zone, said his buildings at 101 and 103 Public Square will be going through about $1 million in improvements that will generate seven new upstairs apartments and include work on the Public Square and Factory Street side facades. Built in 1855, the building that houses Rent-A-Zone is one of the oldest structures in the city.

Crediting Neighbors for spurring interest in town, Mr. Lewis said he has confidence in downtown.

"It's coming back," he said, "and Neighbors of Watertown is leading the way."

The NY Main Street program is providing up to $10,000 in grant money for each facade, while the WLDC money is acting as a match and property owners can receive up to $30,000 just for the facade improvements, more if the project includes apartments. DEW Builders in Adams Center and ARH Construction in Dexter are the general contractors for the projects.

There's just about enough money remaining from this round of funding for one more project, Mr. Schweitzer said, noting that Neighbors plans to seek more funding from the NY Main Street program later this year.

In previous rounds of the facade program, the back of the Paddock Arcade, Avon Shoes & Orthopedic Center at 67 Public Square and Abbey Carpet of Watertown on Court Street received improvements, Mr. Schweitzer said.