The president of Detroit's Masonic Temple says an agreement has been reached with the county to stop a potential auction of the historic 14-story structure, which was foreclosed upon last month.

Roger Sobran says the Temple paid $10,000 toward a tax bill on Thursday and expects to pay another $36,000 by early June.

More than $150,000 in taxes from 2010 and 2012 left the prominent building in the hands of the Wayne County treasurer's office.

But Sobran and chief deputy county treasurer David Szymanski say a payment plan has been worked out.

If delinquent property taxes are not paid, the historic structure would go on the public auction block in September.

The massive ornate edifice, built over six years and opened in 1926, was foreclosed upon March 26, said Szymanski.

Theowes $152,000 in property taxes for the 2010 and 2012 tax years, Szymanski said. He said the county didn't receive a delinquent tax notice on the building from the city for 2011.

If the taxes were to remain unpaid, the building would be listed at the foreclosure auction for $160,000, Szymanski said.

If the building doesn't sell, it'll be listed at $500 in an October auction, he said.

Before the property reaches auction, however, the state, county and city (in that order) have the option during the first week of July to acquire the building by paying the back taxes, interest and fees, Szymanski said.

The state, but not the county or city, could also pay fair market value for the building, he said.

The Masons also own two parking lots adjacent to the Masonic, Szymanski said, but those parcels are not in default.

The building at 500 Temple Ave. has 1,037 rooms, including two theaters (a third was never finished), a chapel, eight lodge rooms, two ballrooms, office space, a cafeteria, dining rooms, a barber shop and 16 bowling lanes, according to the building's website TheMasonic.com.

The Masonic, which bills itself as the largest temple for the secretive fraternal society in the world, has been on thesince 1964 and thesince 1980. Those designations don't affect the auction, Szymanski said.

Detroit-basedmanaged bookings at the venue for two years on a contract with the Masons, but that ended in 2010.

Olympia spent millions to restructure debt at the venue but could not renew the agreement because of the general economic climate, according to a statement issued by the company in 2010.

Olympia is the entertainment management arm of the Ilitch family's business holdings. Theirunit is managing development of a new hockey arena for the Ilitch-ownedon what's believed to be land near the Masonic, but Olympia is not believed to be interested in acquiring the building.

The Ilitch organization has a standing policy of not commenting on its development plans. Other property in the largely run-down area has been bought in recent years, and the Ilitches announced in December a plan for a 35-acre downtown entertainment district anchored by an arena. Although the site north of I-75 and west of Woodward Avenue is the expected site of the project, the Ilitches have not confirmed the location.

Marian Ilitch, co-founder of the Little Caesars pizza chain that is the backbone of the family's empire, owns the Motor City Casino-Hotel that is close to the Masonic.

It's unclear if another organization is handling booking at the Masonic. Upcoming scheduled events at the Masonic include music concerts and comedy tours. It also hosts weddings, meetings, business conventions and myriad other events.

Crews for the now-canceled television show "Detroit 187" and several movies have used the building.