Work is underway to rebuild a popular ByWard Market restaurant that was severely damaged in a fire six years ago.

Vittoria Trattoria's ByWard Market location has been shuttered since the spring of 2019 when a blaze that started on the roof caused extensive damage to the historic property at 35 and 37 William St.

Co-owner Domenic Santaguida said an earlier plan to reopen the restaurant in 2021 was hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"During COVID, we decided to put everything on pause," Santaguida told CBC. 

The rebuild will include more than just a restaurant. Behind the building's original façade, which dates back to the 1870s, Santaguida plans to build 14 residential apartments and an event space in the basement.

Zachary Dayler of the Byward Market District Authority said the return of Vittoria Trattoria is an encouraging sign.

"What's great about this is we have a business that's stuck it through over the last number of years," Dayler said. "It's a strong signal, I think, to the strength and attachment that people have to the ByWard Market."

The long-awaited rebuild comes as the city seeks public input on its plans to redesign William Street and ByWard Market Square. Santaguida said he plans to reopen the restaurant when that work is complete, but there's still plenty to be done.

"A little bit of a weight's been lifted off my shoulders, but there's still a lot of heavy lifting to do," Santaguida said.

Santaguida said he's also been dealing with rising construction costs related to the trade war with the U.S.

"We're facing either supply-chain problems or increased costs because of tariffs," he said.

On Wednesday, work was underway to replace water and sewer infrastructure at the property.

Santaguida, whose late father was a stonemason who worked on the restoration after the fire, said he's hopeful customers will return to Vittoria Trattoria's ByWard location where he and his family have been doing business for decades.

"I think the ByWard Market is a gem," he said. "I think we all need to work to get it back to where we feel it should be."