Morrill Hall will be completely renovated by October 2006, thanks to one of the largest private fund-raising efforts in ISU history.

The $9 million fund-raising goal for Morrill Hall’s renovation was met because of more than 2,700 private contributors who accounted for $7.4 million of the funds, Iowa State and ISU Foundation officials announced Friday. Money from the alumni association, the Iowa Legislature and the university comprise the remaining funds.

Morrill Hall, which has been used for everything from a chapel to a museum to a photo service, almost didn’t survive to see its reconstruction.

Controversy surrounding the building arose because many, including former ISU President Martin Jischke, wanted to tear the building down.

“There was a lot of public input for and against saving it, because some people didn’t see any point in saving it,” said Agatha Burnet, professor emerita of textiles and clothing. “They thought we could build a new Morrill Hall and preserve the Morrill Hall idea with a brand-new building.”

But current ISU President Gregory Geoffroy in August 2002 authorized Iowa State to reconstruct the hall. Thanks to Lyle and Nancy Campbell, co-chairpersons of the Morrill Hall Leadership Committee, who gave $1.2 million, and many others dedicated to saving the historical building, it will undergo complete renovation instead of destruction.

The inside of the building will be completely changed, while the outside remains mostly the same.

The 26,000-square foot building will dedicate 16,000 square feet to program use, said Lynette Pohlman, University Museums director.

The new building will house the Christian Petersen Art Museum and the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Pohlman said. A new center for Visual Learning in Textiles and Clothing will make Iowa State the only college in the nation teaching visual learning, she said.

“At one time, Morrill Hall was a museum, and now it’s going back to its roots as a museum,” said George Burnet, distinguished professor of chemical engineering.

Morrill Hall has a lot of history behind it, which is one of the reasons why so many people have contributed to saving it.

A group of alumni met Sunday in order to archive a part of this rich history.

Pohlman organized the event to preserve the stories of people who worked and took classes in the hall. Until now, the stories were never written down or preserved.

Most of the stories shared among ISU alumni were humorous accounts of the bees, bats, and bugs that frequently inhabited the building, along with discussion on the many uses of the hall throughout the years.

ISU alumnus Carol Greiner remembered one Saturday morning about 50 years ago when she entered the women’s restroom on the second floor to find a bat trapped in the high-ceilinged room, which was earlier used to house organ pipes from the chapel.

“The ladies room was not very wide, but very very tall,” Greiner said.

“It was kind of spooky with the building all quiet. There was plaster on the floor … and a bat flying around.”