Minnesota Historical Society Director

Russell Fridley has written Uncle Sam stating

the society’s interest in acquiring the

New Ulm post office, now that a new post

office building is in the works.

Fridley stated in his letter that if the state

society acquires the post office it will give it

to the City of New Ulm for use as the future

museum of the Brown County Historical Society.

Fridley said the county historical society

is “willing and well qualified” to meet the

challenge of converting the post office into

a museum.

The present post office was put on the National

Register of Historic Sites in May 1972

because of its historic exterior design,thus its

exterior cannot be changes in any way.

Fridley called the post office “one of the

most distinctive architectural structures in

the state of Minnesota. This handsome building,

with its strong German style,deserves to

be perpetuated and to continue to serve a

vital public purpose,” he wrote.

“The present building is inadequate for

the needs of a modern museum,” Fridley

stated discussing the present museum location

in the basement of the city library.

He said there is an urgent need for a new

museum in Brown County and “strong community

support for this idea has already been

expressed by the public and various city and

county officials.”

“In this case, it is an excellent adaptive

use to preserve and protect this striking and

significant landmark. The building design

is in total harmony with the Ger-man background

of the City of New Ulm,”he wrote.

Fridley asked the head of the General

Services Administration, to whom he addressed

his letter, to please notify him when

the post office is declared surplus by the federal

government.

New Ulm Daily Journal

June 6, 1974