Center has a history of movement

The existence of an organized senior center in Mankato dates back to the late 1950s.

It began when a group of area residents formed the Mankato Area Committee on Aging and set about the task of surveying the needs and wants of Mankato’s senior population. The group learned that seniors wanted a “sociability — to play cards, pursue crafts and hobbies — and to remain in the mainstream of society,” according to local historian Vern Lundin.

For the first few years, the group existed without a permanent home, instead holding gatherings in area churches or clubs. Eventually, the YWCA on the corner of Warren and Second streets in downtown Mankato became home to their weekly gatherings.

But the numbers of seniors attending events grew, and they needed a place of their own. They got their wish when a local man purchased a house on Broad Street and rented it to the Senior Citizens Committee. The Senior Citizens Center opened its doors on April 1, 1967.

By the early 1970s, however, that house was not longer big enough for the level of daily activity it was getting. And in 1978, the center moved to its current home after purchasing the Newman Center complex — which was owned by the Diocese of Winona and included parking lots on Cherry and Warren streets. The building also houses the Blue Earth County Historical Society.