In the midst of significant financial challenges, the center had recently put its Monument Avenue building on the market. It had hoped some of the proceeds would go toward relocating the center to a more affordable and accessible location with ample parking and bus service, says Rachel Mertz, the center’s executive director.

The house was quickly taken off the market when the Junior League called attention to a covenant in the deed that says the house would revert back to the league should the center’s operations cease at the Monument Avenue address.

The league established the center in 1959 and purchased the land and building at the center’s current site in 1967 for $38,000, according to city records. Now the Senior Center is listed as owner of the building, city records show.

Ian Nimmo, president of the center’s board of directors, and Jane Helfrich, the league’s executive director, say the two groups are committed to a mutually beneficial resolution. But a reduction in services and hours wasn’t part of the plan, Nimmo says.

The center hopes to break even over the next three fiscal years, “given some up-front flexibility from the Junior League,” Nimmo says. “It is our hope that this is only a turning point and that brighter days are ahead for the Senior Center.” S