A Permanent Campus in Lawrence

2021 marks the 30 Year Anniversary of the first permanent campus in Downtown Lawrence.

NECC has a long history of involvement in Lawrence, beginning with the establishment of the Lawrence Education-Employment Project (LEEP) in 1984.

Over the years, classes were held at multiple locations throughout the city including: Central Catholic High School, Lawrence High School, the Grace Episcopal Church, Greater Lawrence Technical School and the Lawrence Public Library.

NECC accepted the largest privation donation to higher education in history when the Prudential Insurance Co. announced the “gift” of its $4.9 million building for a Lawrence Campus. The donation ended the college’s 16 year search for a site in Downtown Lawrence, and NECC became a comprehensive multicampus institution.

The official campus opened on September 4th, 1991 with the opening of the Dimitry Building, at 45 Franklin Street. It housed classrooms, support services, lab spaces and faculty space.

In 2006, The Louise Haffner Fournier Education Center at 78-82 Amesbury Street in Lawrence was dedicated as part of NECC, expanding the campus classroom and service points.

The Technical Training Foundation pledged one million dollars to NECC in support of the Allied Health & Technology Center to be built in Lawrence. The 44,000 square foot Dr. Ibrahim El-Hefni Allied Health Technology Center opened in 2014, and serves as a hub for the thriving Health programs offered at NECC, along with the classrooms and lab spaces.

Facilities in Lawrence have continued to expand based on enrollment, and included satellite campus space at the mill buildings at Riverwalk, ending in 2019. The Dimitry Renovation Project, beginning in 2017, was funded by the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, included major exterior and interior renovations. The building reopened in Fall of 2019.