Having risen from the ashes of a blatant arson fire set early last year, the Slusser Senior Center in Hopkinton is now almost complete.

“We anticipate that the downstairs will be open in mid- April,” said Justin La Vigne, the town’s recreation director.

The new center’s upper floor has been open for a few months, providing a venue for senior dinners, tea parties, dance classes, knitting groups and other gatherings.

The recent arrival of an elevator marked the final chapter of the construction project. Once it’s installed, the building will be fully accessible, opening up a dedicated fitness room, a game room, a conference room and space for the Hopkinton Food Pantry in the lower level.

When the building is finished, it will be a place for seniors and town groups to socialize and exercise, and a showcase for the goodwill and community spirit that exists in Hopkinton.

“Everything you see in this building is donated,” LaVigne said.

As you enter the second floor of the senior center through the main entrance, it’s hard to miss the majestic wood and marble fireplace in the living room. Artist Byron Carr of Contoocook donated the wood and marble for the fireplace. Danny Coen helped cut the marble for the inlays and Merle Dustin donated the fireplace. Office chairs will provide temporary furnishings in the living room until later this month, when a $15,000 donation from the Hopkinton Women’s Club will help adorn the room with cozy couches, chairs and loveseats.

“We have some gentlemen who come in and play cards in here every once in a while,” La Vigne said. “It’s just a nice place to gather and socialize.”

Off to the left is the Dial-A-Ride office, where seniors can request and schedule transportation for grocery shopping, doctor appointments or other errands.

Anne Slusser, who along with her husband, Eugene, donated $1 million for the construction of the center, started the Dial- A-Ride program in Hopkinton some 30 years ago, La Vigne said.

Beyond the living room, a fully equipped kitchen, fit for feeding a crowd of 80, connects to an airy multipurpose room with windows on three sides.

Monday morning, Hopkinton native Mary Wilkens was filling in as the teacher of the beginners line dancing class in the multi-purpose room.

“I’ve signed up for every class they have here,” Wilkens said, listing off activities like chair yoga, paper cutting, card making, needlework and aerobics. She also attends the weekly senior dinners, and the tea parties.

“I absolutely love the tea parties,” she said. “We get all fancied up with our gloves up to here and our skirts and dresses. We look great.”

Outside the multi-purpose room, a deck provides a view of the mountains in the distance.

“I guess that’s why they picked this location,” LaVigne said. “Gene Slusser really wanted the dining room to face that way.”

The center wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the original $1 million gift the Slussers gave the town in the spring 2006. Combined with an additional $400,000 in private donations, the money paid for the construction of the senior center, without using taxpayer dollars, though town funds will pay for its operation.

Don Lane, who had served as selectman at the time, led the committee that designed the building and oversaw its construction — twice.

On Jan. 15, 2007, fire was intentionally set to the then half- built center, leaving behind only the foundation and a spraypainted message that read, “Not with my tax $.”

“I think they were motivated by the enormous amount of misinformation that was being put out at the time” about the funding for the center, Lane said.

The town’s insurance policy covered the damages and construction pushed onward. No arrests have been made, and the investigation into the fire remains open, Interim Town Administrator Robert Veloski said, and evidence has been sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for analysis.

“I think the police know who did it, they just don’t have enough proof yet,” Lane said.

Meanwhile, La Vigne is setting up a seven-member Senior Recreation Committee to advise him on the operation and programs, which will expand once the first floor opens.

Lane said the senior center adds new social and cultural dimensions to the town of Hopkinton, where more than a third of the population is at least 50 years old.

“After just a few months, it’s already a very integral part of our whole social fabric here in Hopkinton and will only become more so as time goes by,” he said.