  We examine the nuclear morphology, kinematics, and stellar populations in
nearby S0 galaxy NGC 404 using a combination of adaptive optics assisted
near-IR integral-field spectroscopy, optical spectroscopy, and HST imaging.
These observations enable study of the NGC 404 nucleus at a level of detail
possible only in the nearest galaxies. The surface brightness profile suggests
the presence of three components, a bulge, a nuclear star cluster, and a
central light excess within the cluster at radii <3 pc. These components have
distinct kinematics with modest rotation seen in the nuclear star cluster and
counter-rotation seen in the central excess. Molecular hydrogen emission traces
a disk with rotation nearly orthogonal to that of the stars. The stellar
populations of the three components are also distinct, with half of the mass of
the nuclear star cluster having ages of ~1 Gyr (perhaps resulting from a galaxy
merger), while the bulge is dominated by much older stars. Dynamical modeling
of the stellar kinematics gives a total nuclear star cluster mass of 1.1x10^7
Msol. Dynamical detection of a possible intermediate mass black hole is
hindered by uncertainties in the central stellar mass profile. Assuming a
constant mass-to-light ratio, the stellar dynamical modeling suggests a black
hole mass of <1x10^5 Msol, while the molecular hydrogen gas kinematics are best
fit by a black hole with mass of 4.5x10^5 Msol. Unresolved and possibly
variable dust emission in the near-infrared and AGN-like molecular hydrogen
emission line ratios do suggest the presence of an accreting black hole in this
nearby LINER galaxy.
