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NUAF gives $20,000 to Wanda Gag House

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Members of the Wanda Gag House Association (WGHA) and New Ulm Area Foundation (NUAF) gather outside the Wanda Gag House for a special check passing Monday. NUAF donated $20,000 to help with maintenance and repairs to the Wanda Gag House. In photo left to right: Wanda Gag House Association Treasurer (WGHA) Lee Knauf, WGHA board member Sandy Schiebel, NUAF board member Kathy Van Roekel and NUAF Executive Director John Illikman.

NEW ULM -- The Wanda Gag House Association (WGHA) received a $20,000 donation from the New Ulm Area Foundation (NUAF), Monday.

The funds will cover the prep work and painting of the house where famous illustrator Wanda Gag grew up. The house was designed by Wanda Gag's father Anton Gag and was built in 1894. The house is listed on the National Register of Historical Places and the New Ulm Heritage Preservation Commission has listed it as a Heritage Preservation Landmark.

The WGHA is working to maintain and preserve the house. In 2025, restoration work including repairs to the exterior and painting.

NUAF executive director John Illikman said this is the highest donation awarded by the foundation this year and was deemed as an important project.

NUAF president Kathy Van Roekel said the project aligned well with historical preservation, which is one of the foundation’s main pillars for awarding grants. She said often when people think about New Ulm, they think about the community’s rich history and there are few locations as important to New Ulm's history as the Wanda Gag House

"Doing what we can to maintain these important community assets in an important part of why our donors give back to their hometown through NUAF," Van Roekel said.

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