Built in 1868-77 (the school was founded in 1866), it is an Italianate building of unusual architectural sophistication for rural Maine.

It is the centerpiece of the school's campus, housing classrooms, offices, and other facilities.

The front facade has a central projecting section, with quoined corners and single-story porches on either side that shelter its entrances.

[2] The Maine Central Institute was founded in 1866 by Free Will Baptists as a private academy intended to supply students to Bates College.

[2] The building now houses, in addition to classrooms, offices and a ballet studio, as well as the school's rifle range in its basement.