The Right Equation for Responsible Development: Spotlight on Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument: Tekαkαpimək Contact Station (T3 R7 WELS)

MEREDA Recognizes its 2024 Notable Project Award Recipients –

Each year, the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) recognizes some of the state’s most “noteworthy and significant” real estate projects, completed in the previous year. The exemplary projects from across the state, completed in 2024, not only embody MEREDA’s belief in responsible real estate development, but also exemplify best practices in the industry, contributing to Maine’s economic growth by significant investment of resources and job creation statewide.

This year, MEREDA honored projects from throughout the state, with each receiving special recognition at MEREDA’s 2025 “Notable Night” social celebration in May.

In a multi-part series exclusive to the Maine Real Estate Insider, we’ll provide an up-close look at the most notable commercial development projects of the past year that are helping to fuel Maine’s economy in terms of investment and job creation. MEREDA is proud to recognize responsible development based upon criteria including environmental sustainability, economic impact, energy efficiency, difficulty of the development, uniqueness, social impact and job creation.

Mainebiz also featured each of our Notable Project Recipients in their inaugural “Groundbreaking Maine” publication.  Be sure to check it out!  https://www.mainebiz.biz/special-edition/groundbreaking-maine-2025

MEREDA’s 2024 Top 9 recipients include:

Firehouse Village, Firehouse Ventures & Avesta Housing (Scarborough)

99 Western Apartments, Mastway Development (Augusta)

The Malone Family Tower, MaineHealth and Perkins&Will (Portland)

Seaport Community Health Center, Penobscot Community Health Care (Belfast)

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument: Tekαkαpimək Contact Station, Elliotsville Foundation (T3 R7 WELS)

Vertical Harvest, Vertical Harvest Maine (Westbrook)

Stacy M. Symbol Apartments, Westbrook Development Corporation (Westbrook)

Nightingale & State Street Campus Redevelopment, NewHeight Group & Redfern Properties (Portland)

Front Street Redevelopment, Portland Housing Authority (Portland)

Please join us this week in celebrating Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument: Tekαkαpimək Contact Station.

• Tekαkαpimək Contact Station is a stunning 7,900 square-foot building and 23-acre site atop Lookout Mountain created to welcome the global public to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.
• The monument is located within the present and traditional homeland of the Penobscot Nation.
• All Wabanaki Cultural Knowledge and Intellectual Property shared within this project is owned by the Wabanaki Nations.  

MEREDA:  Describe the building and project.

Tekαkαpimək Contact Station, Elliotsville Foundation: The Tekαkαpimək Contact Station is a 7,896-square-foot visitor center situated atop Lookout Mountain within the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine. The name “Tekαkαpimək,” pronounced deh gah-gah bee mook, is Penobscot for “as far as one can see,” reflecting the expansive views the site offers. The building’s design emphasizes sustainability, utilizing locally sourced materials where possible and operates off-grid. The interior features interpretive exhibits that provide visitors with insights into the natural and cultural significance of the monument, particularly through a Wabanaki perspective. The surrounding 23-acre site includes accessible walking paths, gathering circles, and overlooks that honor the traditions and heritage of the Wabanaki Nations. The Site was connected to the existing infrastructure through the construction of approximately 4-miles of access roads.

In support of this project, Haley Ward has provided a wide range of services from concept through completion. Our team provided planning, surveying, permitting, site/utility design, roadway design, bridge design, and structural engineering, all with careful collaboration with the Client, Design Team, and National Park Service. Other members of the Design Team included Saunders Architecture and Alisberg Parker (Architecture), Wright-Ryan Construction (Contractor), Salas O’ Brien, formerly known as Allied Engineering (MEP), Reed Hildebrand (Landscape Architecture), Atelier One (Structural Engineering Lead, Transsolar, Inc. (Environmental/Energy Consultant), Erin Hutton Projects (Creative Program Management), We Should Do It All (Exhibits, Wayfinding and Signage Design), University of Maine (Structural Testing), Emery Lee & Sons, Inc. (Sitework Subcontractors), ODP Trailworks (Sitework Subcontractors), JQP, Inc. (Accessibility Consultant), Wabanaki Advisory Board (Project/Exhibit Consultants), Dr. Jane Anderson (Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Consultant), Tuhura Communications (Interpretive Plan) and Elliotsville Foundation, Inc. (Project Manager and Owner’s Representative). All parties worked together throughout design and construction to realize the vision of Elliotsville Foundation.

MEREDA:  What was the impetus for this project? 

Tekαkαpimək Contact Station, Elliotsville Foundation: Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument was formally established by Presidential Proclamation on August 24, 2016, with land donated by Roxanne Quimby-– a cofounder of the international brand Burt’s Bees–through Elliotsville Foundation (EFI). Monument Lands are located within the present and traditional homeland of the Penobscot Nation and are an important crossroads for all of the Wabanaki Nations in Maine:  Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi’kmaq.  With the donation of land to the Department of the Interior, time-limited reserved rights were written into certain deeds that allowed for EFI as a private entity to build a Visitor Contact Station – a unique opportunity create an interpretive site from the ground up that is imbued with Wabanaki worldviews, which are often erased, inadequate, or represented by colonized versions of Indigenous stories in public sites.

Early visitation to the national monument has been impressive. The National Park Service estimates that in 20 years, Katahdin Woods and Waters will host 250,000 visitors annually. To propel the early emergence of the Monument as an outstanding addition to America’s national parks, it was important to design and develop infrastructure necessary for people to discover and experience KWW’s exceptional resources. In 2019, EFI elected to exercise its reserved right to build a Welcome Center as singular as its surroundings – a facility as inspiring as the expansive forest and waterways of the land itself. 

MEREDA:  That sounds like quite a process. How long were you in the planning stages before construction started?

Tekαkαpimək Contact Station, Elliotsville Foundation: Haley Ward has been deeply engaged in various projects for Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument since 2018.

MEREDA:  Tell us about the most challenging aspect of getting this project completed.

Tekαkαpimək Contact Station, Elliotsville Foundation: The Tekαkαpimək Contact Station demanded careful consideration of both aesthetics and structural integrity. It was imperative that the building not only endure the test of time but also harmonize seamlessly with its natural surroundings, reflecting the essence of Maine craftsmanship. However, bringing this vision to fruition was no simple task. The existing site conditions and architectural vision of the building necessitated the need for complex and unique solutions.

MEREDA:  Something unexpected you learned along the way was….

Tekαkαpimək Contact Station, Elliotsville Foundation: In its infancy it was not clear the scale or level of detail this undertaking would require.  It’s not every day that an owner fully embraces the design process and places this much value on the collaborative effort of the entire design team to analyze every detail. The result is a truly spectacular facility that incorporates the ideas and visions of so many.  This proved just how much of a difference can be made when we are given the opportunity to go the extra mile and consider so many different points of view. 

MEREDA:  Now that it’s complete, what feature of the project do you think makes it the most notable?

Tekαkαpimək Contact Station, Elliotsville Foundation: The Tekαkαpimək Contact Station, situated within Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, stands out for several notable features including its design, sustainability, and collaborative development.

The 7,900-square-foot building showcases a design inspired by Wabanaki architectural traditions, featuring intersecting wings that gently curve and cantilever into the tree canopy. Constructed primarily with locally sourced materials, the structure emphasizes sustainability. It operates off-grid, utilizing a 36.75 kW solar array for electricity, and incorporates passive heating and cooling systems to minimize environmental impact. Named “Tekαkαpimək,” a Penobscot term meaning “as far as one can see,” the contact station was developed through a collaborative process involving the Wabanaki Nations, the National Park Service, and the Elliotsville Foundation. This partnership ensured that the design and exhibits authentically reflect the rich cultural heritage of the region. The building features original artworks and interpretive content that provide a Wabanaki perspective on the area’s natural and human history.