New Ulm Park and Rec removed the overhead door from the building due to vandalism leaving the door damaged beyond operation or repair. Maintenance Supervisor Ryan Weier explained the current situation regarding the building and its demolition.

“The building had been approved for demo two years ago by the City Council,” he said. “We were still using it for storage. We were slowly moving storage out of there and into a new storage building. More importantly, the vandalism had escalated over the years and was damaging access to the building. It was becoming dangerous and financially inefficient to keep the building safe. An intentionally set fire occurred inside the building earlier this summer and that was the last incident prompting the removal to move forward indefinitely. Bids were taken and we are waiting on the contractor to remove the building. Consistent vandalism has made it to where it would take a significant financial investment to fix everything.”

While a bid has been taken and a contractor selected for demolition, it is currently unknown when the building will be fully removed. Weier said the wait should not be long.

“The contractor is getting close to tearing it down,” he said. “We needed to get the remaining storage items out before we got rid of the door. We got it completed and the building will be coming down with it soon.”

The inside of the Art Wall Park building lays completely vacant as all storage materials have been moved and the overhead door has been removed due to disrepair. The park is still open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. for people to come and see the graffiti before it is destroyed

The building coming down will not affect the status of the park. Weier said the building being removed will leave the space as an open gravel canvas and the walls and other features displaying art will not be touched. “The space will be leveled ground and there are no plans to put anything else in it’s place,” Weier said.

Park and Rec Director Joey Schugel reiterated the other features of the park will not be a part of the demolition, and he hopes the freelance art scene will continue to thrive in the building’s absence.

“We’re committed to keeping the Art Wall Park as an option for community art,” Schugel said. “We hope it is something that sticks around in one of our park units.”

For those who wish to admire the art currently on the building before it is gone for good, the Art Wall Park is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.