The Michigan State University Board of Trustees has voted to rename Agriculture Hall the Justin S. Morrill Hall of Agriculture.
The building will be named in honor of the man who, as a United States Congressman, brought about the establishment of the land-grant university. The Morrill Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862.
“The original Morrill Act spurred Congressional action in funding agricultural experiment stations and cooperative extension services,” said Fred Poston, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “These pillars of the Morrill Act were at the time, and continue to be, central to MSU’s identity and mission. It is therefore fitting that the name Morrill Hall be attached to MSU’s agriculture building.”
Earlier this year, the existing Morrill Hall was vacated and the building is now slated for demolition. A wooden structure originally built in 1900, Morrill had suffered irreparable deterioration. As a result, it was determined that reconstruction and restoration of the facility would not be economically feasible.
The academic units that were housed in Morrill Hall have moved to locations in Wells Hall and the Old Horticulture Building.
Plans are currently underway for an early fall renaming ceremony.