Old Lyme ― Almost 40 years after parents on their way to work first dropped their children off in a little white house at 57 Lyme St., the leadership of Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center is hopeful recent renovations will carry them through another half century.

The nonprofit center reopened its daytime home for infants and toddlers on Oct. 1 after an extended and unanticipated closure. The return heralded renewed life for the historic 1850 structure that at one point had been considered for demolition by the center’s board of directors after leaks and extensive rot were found on the first floor.

Marie Ryan, the board’s secretary, said a simple plan to transform a central storage room into more usable space in late 2022 ended up costing roughly $740,000. That’s because a closer look at the space revealed water had been seeping in from the roof and chimney for years.

The financial hit came as the center was emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic with the help of new Director Dana Gatchek. A former elementary school teacher and lifelong East Lyme resident, she was credited by Ryan with building the program back up again after the immediate fallout from the pandemic depleted most of the center’s savings.

Gatchek said the subsequent discovery of water damage led to the closure once again of the main house, devoted to the center’s youngest children, at the beginning of 2023. She thought the repairs would take a couple months.

“The more we investigated and uncovered, the more damage we found,” she said.

Eight weeks turned into 21 months.

The closure displaced 12 families. Programs for older toddlers and preschoolers, as well as children in the center’s before- and after-school program ― serving about 50 students at Center School, within walking distance ― continued during the renovations.

Historic District Commission meeting minutes from March of last year show board members asked to demolish the main house and rebuild in its place. An architect hired by the center cited rotting timbers, mold and a sagging roof beam.

But a structural engineer hired by the commission determined it could be saved, according to Ryan.

“So we went forward from there,” she said.

The commission, which has oversight of exterior improvements in the area recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, dictated that the chimney of the torn-down fireplace remain in place. District design guidelines also influenced the choice of fixtures, windows, siding and handrails.

A wrought iron railing along a small set of stairs on the side of the house cost $10,000, according to Gatchek.

“It’s the most expensive railing I’ve ever heard of,” she said.

Ryan said the board secured a mortgage on the property originally purchased for the nonprofit by philanthropist Connie Pike in 1987. She said her efforts to find historic and educational grant funding came up empty.

The center relies on tuition and fundraising, according to Ryan. The Constance Pike Fund, administered through the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, also helps support annual maintenance.

“We don't want to increase tuition; we're one of the lowest tuition places in the area,” Ryan said. “But we might have to.”

The renovation included a new fire system, two bathrooms accessible to those with mobility issues, new flooring and a small teachers’ lounge.

Ryan cited one benefit of the unexpected renovation is an increase in the available square footage after the fireplace was removed and the area was reconfigured. She said the center can now add about a half dozen more children to the 12 toddlers and three babies in the main house.

But she acknowledged they will not be able to reach maximum enrollment in the building until more staff members are hired. She pointed to a nationwide shortage of childcare workers that makes it difficult to attract and retain employees.

Ryan said early discussions about the possibility of relocating due to the water damage didn’t last long.

“That was a no brainer,” she said of the spot near the schools, the Lymes’ Youth Services Bureau and the library. “We really had to stay in this location.”

She recalled another opportunity to change the siding color that was quickly discarded by current and former families who’d grown accustomed to the Lyme Street fixture.

“They were like ‘No, no, no! It’s the Little White House. You can’t do that!’” she recalled with a laugh.

Ryan is optimistic for the future after the extensive repairs to a building grounded in history. She described it as the kind of longevity the center can build upon.

“We’re giving people the childcare they desperately need in this area,” she said. “It was established 40 years ago, and we want another 40 years.”

An official ribbon cutting for the renovated building is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 7, from 1 to 3 p.m.

e.regan@theday.com