NEW ULM – While Hermann awaits his festival September 9, the structure he is standing in is the subject of restoration plans.

Unfortunately, those plans have not seen rapid progress since the previous year’s festival. However, some crucial early steps have been taken to bring the process along. Park and Rec Director Joey Schugel said one of these steps was a meeting in May.

“In May, there were architects in New Ulm specializing in historic preservation out of the metro,” he said. “They assessed with a group of people, including city officials, building officials, Park and Rec staff, and the Hermann Monument Society. Minnesota State Historical Preservation Office was also represented because they’re going to be a big part of this process, with it being a historical landmark. Right now, the architects are sending a proposal to us to recommend how to proceed with the monument to the State Historical Preservation Office. They’re going to recommend a full deconstruct and reconstruct process because of the current condition of the monument.”

Schugel said most of the project is still in the future and could take up to a decade to complete. But with the focus being on historical preservation, he says this long timeframe is worth it.

“Anytime we’re working with the magnitude of this project, and historical preservation, that process is a long thought-out process. There are a lot of different steps to go through to ensure the whole thing is done with respect to the history of this monument. We knew this from the get-go, this is going to be a long process. This could be a five, seven, ten-year process to go through this. And I think we’re still at the infancy stages of that process.”

For now, the Hermann Monument is completely open and available to the public and will be during HermannFest. Schugel said it is unknown when the physical restoration will begin, much less end. But once it begins, the Hermann Monument will be closed off for years. When re-opened, the hope is it will retain as much of the original materials and design that made the structure such a good home for Hermann as possible.

“There are many different materials in the monument because it was redone many times over the years,” Schugel said. “There may be some aspects that can be redone, but most of it is going to come down to a full reconstruct. Maybe the columns [can be re-used fully intact] once they’re taken down. It all depends, once it’s deconstructed, what type of condition the materials are in. We know a lot of the base is not salvageable. That would be a new reconstruct while keeping the original monument as much intact or represented as possible.”

For more information and future updates on the Hermann Monument restoration, visit https://www.newulmmn.gov/ or https://hermannmonument.com/