NAHANT – While it?s still a work in progress, the Nahant Life-Saving Station has been restored back to its former glory to serve as a destination for events, history buffs and beach-goers alike.On Sunday, an open house was hosted by the Nahant Preservation Trust to show off the building?s dramatic new look, which includes a restored Boat Room available for rental for special events such as weddings, flanked by a newly-installed catering kitchen overlooking Little Nahant on the Short Beach side.Lynn Spencer, architect for the project and member of the Nahant Preservation Trust said a historical display will be housed in the central space of the Boat Room, complete with a Coast Guard row boat suspended from the ceiling, oars on the walls, renderings of the station and numerous artifacts. The room previously housed surfboats, which were used for rescue purposes until motorized rescue boats came into play.?The building was in rough shape,” Spencer said. “The Coast Guard had covered the outside with vinyl siding and it ripped off the cornices and woodwork, so the first step was to restore the exterior.”As visitors milled about the space Sunday, numerous photos of the building?s previously decayed exterior served as a reminder to how far the building has come.Built in 1899, the Coast Guard Station remained in active service until 1964 before it spiraled into decline over the course of two decades as a result of vandals and the elements. As a result, the federal government transferred ownership of the station to the town in 1999, where efforts then got under way for the restoration.While the main building is near complete with extensive renovations including handicap accessibility, quite a bit more work needs to be done, including the second floor, which will serve as a two-bedroom apartment, work on the tower, the grounds and the interior of the garage.?The apartment has very nice feature with sloped ceilings,” Spencer said. “It will also serve to generate revenue to help with the building?s operating costs and as a security purpose.”Come springtime, the station will also become the new home of the Mortimer G. Robbins American Legion Post # 215. The group of nearly 50 members are set to sub-lease the space, which is located to the side of the Boat Room.?This has been a long time coming,” said post member William Cullen. “Our old building (on Coolidge Road) was turning into a building maintenance nightmare, so this will be a cozy spot for us to move to.”Cullen expressed interest in having the Post host two events per year at the station to honor Memorial Day and Veterans Day.?I have big plans for the space, maybe even line dancing on Friday nights,” Cullen quipped. “There are a lot of things that I want to resurrect that have lost interest over the years, including the Military Ball and Memorial Day night dinner, which we haven?t had since 1982.”