This new Dolphin Design Center replaces a three-story building that previously occupied the property. The former 15,000 square foot building was built around 1914 as an auto repair shop known as the Dolphin Radiator and Fender Works. MICA acquired the building in 1963 and converted it to studios. In the late 1970s, it became a center for the college's printmaking department, which has temporarily moved while the new facility is being constructed.
TEI Electrical Solutions was a subcontractor for Southway Builders to do the Electrical Systems for the new five-story 25,000 square foot Dolphin Design Center. This building includes state-of-the-art labs, classrooms, and offices, as well as shared collaborative learning and social spaces. The Design Center will also house Architectural Design, Interactive Arts, and Game Design, and will be a hub for exploring the social, material, and economic dimensions of contemporary design and fabrication.