[2] The original committee which sought to establish the school, the Northern Institute of the Arts Planning Commission, acquired the building, a former Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology (CANMET) research laboratory, in 1998.
During its operation, however, it did grant its own certificates and diplomas, and offered degree programming in collaboration with OCAD University in Toronto, leading to a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA).
[5] Beginning in 2012, the White Mountain building became a temporary home to the Elliot Lake Public Library and other services displaced by the Algo Centre Mall roof collapse.
[5] The library faced controversy over its planned final location in 2013, with the board favouring remaining at White Mountain[6] while many users preferred a move to the more centrally-located Pearson Plaza.
[5] As at October 2016, the building remains in use providing host to a variety of tenants, including the Nuclear Waste Management Organisation, Service Canada, a dance studio, the business incubator and some of their clients.