Morrill Hall

In the modern photo, cars can be seen parked along Morrill Road. The new staircase in front of the building holds the sculpture “Transformation,” which was designed by Albert Paley. It is suppose to represent a connection between the old and the new of Iowa State, and was designed specifically for Morrill Hall and its reopening in 2007.

Construction of Morrill Hall began in 1890 and was finished in 1891. Morrill Hall was named in honor of Sen. Justin Morrill, who was born April 1, 1810. He wrote the Morrill Land Grant Act. The building has had a tumultuous history and was deemed unsafe in 1996. Morrill Hall was rescued from demolition by a campaign from former President Gregory Geoffroy, and was reopened in 2007.

The hall has served several purposes throughout its history. It originally included a chapel, a library, a gym and a museum. The library later moved to Beardshear Hall after its completion before ending up at Parks Library in 1925. According to the Library’s Special Collections, the building housed a barbershop in the southeast corner of the building from 1905 to 1908.

Morrill Hall has also been home to a variety of animals and other miniature disasters. Bats have been a common sighting in the building and have disrupted faculty and students alike for decades. There was a large beehive removed from the building once as well.

There was even a stuffed camel for a while that eventually succumbed to water damage and was disposed of. When the roof was replaced in the 1980s, it was discovered that the original mortar included moose hair. It was originally thought to be asbestos, however, and caused a fright. Up until the 1980s, it was a popular prank to place a pumpkin at the top of the turret.

Morrill Hall houses the Christian Petersen Art Museum, the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching learning community and two classrooms.

The Morrill Land Grant Act was written by Justin Morrill. Officially called “An Act Donating Public Lands to the Several States and Territories, which may provide Colleges for the Benefit of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts,” the act called for each state to set aside 30,000 acres dedicated to higher education. On June 10, 1862, the bill passed the Senate by a vote of 32 to 7.

On June 17, 1862, it passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 90 to 25. It was signed into law by Abraham Lincoln on July 2, 1892. On Sept. 11, 1862, the state of Iowa was the first state to accept these provisions. That is how Iowa State College and Model Farm became the first Land Grant School in the United States.