In 2023, Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment opened the Smith Center for Research and Education to the community. This new community facility builds upon the legacy of founders Mr. Lawrence and Eleanor Smith, ensuring Wolfe’s Neck Center’s role in agricultural innovation and public access. The new center includes two classrooms, a small meeting room, a community dining space, and a teaching kitchen. With sustainability top of mind, Wolfe’s Neck Center turned to Opal Architects of Belfast, Maine, to design the new building, with Freeport-based Zachau Construction completing the build. Opal utilized passive house design principles to ensure this new building produces more energy than it consumes and enhances the land’s ecological potential through water conservation and incorporating landscapes to support the land’s biodiversity.

Supporting this nonprofit’s eco-friendly mission, they turned to the team at Thos. Moser to design tables for the new space– a company that shares in its commitment to sustainable practices. Using sustainably harvested maple for the table tops added a handmade warmth, while the industrial powder-coated steel bases ensured durability for years of use. The result of this partnership is a distinctive and sustainable space that will demonstrate a regenerative agricultural innovation, enabling people of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy this beautiful place year-round and to take part in their work of transforming our relationship with food and farming for a healthier planet.