These funds will be added to the $300,000 already set aside from past years to pay for the creation of deconstruction documents. Once the city has the document, the planning for disassemble and rebuild of the monument can begin.

For years, the city has been working to repair or renovate the Hermann Monument. Park and Rec. Director Joey Schugel clarified that the problem is not with Hermann but with the structure beneath him.

“The base of the monument, not the statue, has been taking on water for years possible since it was constructed,” Schugel said.

The water infiltration has created structural problems and undermined the monument’s integrity. The base of the monument was once home to a Hermann interpretive center, but this was removed seven years ago due to water leaking inside the structure.

The Hermann the German statue is in fine conditions, but the monument below him needs to be rebuilt. For years, the monument has experienced water leakage causing damage and other structural issues.

Schugel said over the years staff has tried a number of corrective measures, but none were successful.

In 2019, the city conducted an assessment of the monument and confirmed there were substantial structural issues with the monument. This led to discussions with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) regarding the reconstruction of the monument. However, before the monument can be reconstructed it will need to be deconstructed first.

A feasibility study completed last Sept. by MacDonald and Mac Architects confirmed the best option was to disassemble the monument, document the process to create blueprints for the monument, and then rebuild reusing any materials and replacing others with similar materials.

The study was presented to the New Ulm City Council along with a letter from SHPO approving this approach. SHPO also acknowledged nothing like this had ever been approved. No monument has ever been recommended for reconstruction while the structure was still standing.

On Nov. 21, city staff met with MacDonald and Mac Architects to discuss details as they worked to prepare a formal proposal and budget for deconstruction documents. Schugel said the proposal is expected to come before the city in early 2025. A preliminary estimate for the deconstruction plans is $300,000. This only covers the cost of the plans, not the deconstruction.

After the city has the plans, they can start seeking bids for a company to start deconstructing the monument.

“There is really no way to know how much the actual deconstruction will cost,” Schugel said. He suspected it would be a multi-million dollar project combined with the deconstruction and reconstruction.

At this time, there is no target start date for deconstruction. Schugel said deconstruction is directly tied to funding. Before the city starts deconstruction, it will need funding sources. Due to the historic nature of the monument, it is possible the state could provide some funding. There are also grants the city could apply for to help with the project in addition to local contributions. However, the deconstruction documents are needed first.

“We can’t start lining up for funding sources until we get the deconstruction documents,” Schugel said. “That’s why this step is so important in the process.”

The entire reconstruction and rebuild of the Hermann Monument is expected to take years of work with several steps along the way.

Schugel said the goal at this time is to keep the process moving forward.