One of Iowa State’s oldest buildings will soon be vacated.

To provide a “better working environment” for Iowa State employees, the ISU Photo Service and University Relations will be moved next month from Morrill Hall to the Communications Building, said Lynn Seiler, associate director of facilities planning.

ISU Extension Communications will be left in Morrill Hall, but will have its offices consolidated in the first two floors of the building.

Employee comfort is the main reason for the move.

However, because moisture has softened the bricks on the exterior of the building, Seiler said it is a “long-term liability to keep the building open.”

“Our concern is getting people into better places,” Seiler said. “[Morrill Hall is] not a very nice building,” he said. Leaky windows on the interior cause drafts in the building and make it hard to regulate the temperature, Seiler said.

Morrill Hall, one of only nine 19th century buildings left on ISU campus, has housed the campus library, chapel, gymnasium, museum and barber shop. The building was named after the senator who wrote the Morrill Act, which created the opportunity for land-grant universities like ISU.

Despite the historical significance of Morrill Hall, there are currently no plans to renovate the building.

“To renovate adequately would be a big job,” he said. An elevator and additional stairs are among features needed in the four-story building.

Stuart Huntington, an ISU community and regional planning professor, said it is hard to raise money for restoration of older buildings.

“Often it is easier to get money for a new building,” he said.