Davidson Hall, the former home of the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, is being demolished after 93 years. Most of the furniture in the building is being recycled, but some has been donated to Habitat for Humanity.

“They had a lot of chalkboards and cabinets that were donated,” said Merry Rankin, director of sustainability. “It is very unique to be deconstructing a building of this size piece by piece.”

Other materials donated include white boards, mirrors, tables, countertops, shelves, exit signs and bulletin boards.

“It’s kind of like that saying, ‘one mans trash is another mans treasure,'” Rankin said.

The donations to Habitat For Humanity were organized by the Iowa Waste Exchange. Representatives from the Iowa Waste Exchange accompanied members of Facilities Planning and Management on a tour through Davidson Hall, selecting which products they wished to take.

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, “The Iowa Waste Exchange is one of the nation’s premier materials exchange programs. Since 1990, the Iowa Waste Exchange has matched a little more than 3.3 million tons, keeping waste out of landfills and into our economy, saving Iowans slightly more than $80 million by diverting this waste into production and use.”

Last year, Habitat for Humanity helped 1.6 million people around the world, according to its annual report.

“When we have the opportunity to reduce the waste we put into the environment, we take it,” Rankin said. “Doing so allows Iowa State to save money and protect the environment, Rankin said.

In preparation for demolition, faculty and staff moved to the new Biorenewables Complex — Elings and Sukup halls — during the summer.

The plans to demolish the building were approved by the Iowa Board of Regents in 2006, the same time that the Biorenewables Complex was in the development process. It was briefly considered that Davidson Hall could be used for another purpose, but in the end, it was decided that the building was outdated and could not be easily adapted and was substandard for general and fire safety.

Demolition is expected to take about three and a half months to complete, according to Inside Iowa State.

Once demolition is complete, the space will be used as a temporary parking lot until future plans for the space are agreed upon.

Davidson Hall was first built in 1922 under the name Agriculture Engineering Laboratory after the Board of Regents decided the Department of Agricultural Engineering had outgrown its space in the Farm Mechanics and Soil Physics building.

In 1941, a fire in the east and north wings of the building caused the need for renovations, which were completed in 1942. The renovations included adding a south wing and a second floor. In 1975, the building was renamed Davidson Hall in honor of J. Brownlee Davidson, head of the Department of Agricultural Engineering from 1919 to 1946.

Demolition is expected to take place until April and will include filling in a tunnel that runs underneath the building. Work on the parking lot will begin during the summer.

The building turned 93 years old in January.