The Augusta K. Christie Building was the first permanent building constructed on campus to replace the existing buildings of the former Air Force Base. Designed by Kenneth A. Jackson, A.I.A., and constructed by G.T. Guigley & Son of Fort Kent, Maine, the Christie Building was originally intended to house the administration offices and business education classrooms. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held in May of 1969, and construction was scheduled to be complete by June 1, 1970. By August of 1970, the business department and administration had moved in to the new building, which quickly became the primary academic building on campus. The official dedication took place on October 4, 1970, honoring Augusta K. Christie for her instrumental work in proposing the legislation that established the campus in 1961.
On October 23, 1978, a groundbreaking ceremony was held and construction began on a multi-purpose addition to the Christie Building that would house athletic facilities, classrooms, and a gymnasium. Funding for this expansion came from a special election referendum on December 5, 1977, which authorized the issuance of bonds to fund additions to several Vocational-Technical Institutes across Maine. Designed by Wright-Pierce Architects of Topsham, Maine, and built by the Cyr Construction Company of Caribou, Maine, the Multi-purpose addition was just that – an expansion that served a variety of purposes. It contains the gymnasium, athletic facilities, sheet metal/precision metals lab, and drafting labs as well as the biology and physics labs and some small classrooms. The majority of the rooms in this addition the Christie Complex are still used for the same purpose for which they were originally intended, though many have been renovated and modernized over the years.
Two more additions to the Christie Complex came in 1986-87 when the decision was made to bring more programs under one roof rather than construct a new, separate building. This $2.5 million expansion of the campus was completed in two phases, on opposite ends of the Christie Complex. The first phase involved the construction of a new library, auditorium, health occupations center, and learning center. Scheduled for completion in December of 1986, this addition was designed to enhance the resources available for student learning. The second phase of the expansion, scheduled for completion in July of 1987, involved construction of a second addition to the Christie Complex that would house three large lab areas and some smaller, related classrooms. Adjacent to the gymnasium, the new areas would become the electrical construction and maintenance lab, industrial electronics lab, and computer electronics lab. Designed by Harriman Associates of Auburn, Maine, this two-part expansion united much of the campus under one roof. Also of note in this section is a tile wall mural located in the corridor where the new section joins the Gymnasium. A part of Maine’s Percent for Art Act, the artwork is entitled Abstract Landscape by Paul Heroux.
In 1993, significant renovations were finalized in an effort to modernize the oldest parts of the Christie Complex, and to accommodate the relocation of the administration offices and many instructor offices to the newly completed John L. Martin Building. The first floor of the Christie Building later became home to the Business Office, Admissions, student services, and Financial Aid. In 2003, more renovations were made to the Christie building when the library moved into the newly constructed E. Perrin Edmunds Building, leaving room for the learning center to move into the vacated space. The IT office was then able to move into the former learning center. The new, larger learning center became known as the Academic Success Center, which gave students a place to go for help outside of class and to study with other students.
In 2008, significant renovations were made to room 208, on the second floor of the Christie Building, to enhance the business management program. With the help of a $5,000 donation from MMG Insurance, a new classroom design was implemented that had a more professional appearance and provided students with an enhanced learning space. In 2009, renovations were made to the auditorium/lecture hall that gave the room new flooring and seating as well as a state of the art system for transmitting and receiving courses through video conferences. Primarily use for nursing related courses, this technology allows students at both the Houlton and St. John Valley sites to receive the same learning experience as a student on campus. On July 17, 2009, a dedication ceremony was held in honor of County businessman Peter G. Hunt Sr. for his devotion to the College over the years. Senator Susan Collins, who championed the effort to gain federal funding for the renovations, spoke of Hunt’s legacy at the ceremony and of how the new Peter G. Hunt, Sr. Multi-Media Center would “greatly advance the College’s mission to meet the needs of all of Northern Maine.“
The Christie building has transitioned from being the first permanent building on campus to being the center of a large complex of buildings that house the majority of NMCC’s programs. Over the decades, additions were made, rooms were repurposed, and renovations were completed, but the Christie Building remains the heart of the campus—serving the needs of students more than four decades later.
Credit: Brian Hall
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