Monday, a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the new armory, located at 2100 Palmer Avenue. The new armory is 40,374 square-feet and features classrooms, a fitness center, a learning center, LED lights, solar panels, and a hybrid heat pump mechanical system. Construction began on the new facility in April 2024. The new facility supports training, readiness, and state and federal missions for the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery Regiment. The readiness center houses approximately 20 full-time staff and 240 drilling soldiers, serving as a hub for training, coordination, and emergency response.

The grand opening ceremony was attended by Gov. Tim Walz, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Rep Brad Finstad, New Ulm Mayor Kathleen Backer and Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke.

Manke thanked the city of New Ulm for the hospitality it has shown the Minnesota National Guard for over a century. The previous New Ulm armory was constructed in 1915 on the 200 N. Block of Broadway.

“The entire New Ulm community has supported the soldiers of the Minnesota National Guard,” he said. “Your involvement today demonstrates the community support for over 100 years and is hopeful for the next 100 years.”

The public was invited to grand opening for the new Minnesota National Guard Armory located at 2100 Palmer Avenue in New Ulm. Construction on the new facility began in April 2024 near the new National Guard Field Maintenance shop. The new armory houses approximately 20 full-time staff and 240 drilling soldiers, serving as a hub for training, coordination, and emergency response.

Manke also credits New Ulm with supplying the land for the new armory and the field maintenance shop located on the same site.

“We could not be here with the support of the community of New Ulm,” Manke said.

Walz spoke on the need for the new facility. He is a former National Guard Member who served with the 1-125 Field Artillery and has memories of working out of the former armory.

“We told ourselves we were lucky to be serving in such a historic building, that’s the way we talked about it because it certainly wasn’t functional,” Walz said.

He reminded the crowd that the original armory was constructed three years before the U.S. entered the first World War and now the new facility was the most modern in the state and possibly the country.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spoke at the grand opening for the new Minnesota National Guard Armory, Monday. Walz thanked the City of New Ulm for its support of the National Guard for the last 110 years. “I think you would be hard-pressed to find any community in America that is more supportive of its National Guard,” he said.

“We owe it to our warrior, to the men and women of the Minnesota National Guard, to give them the best equipment, the best training and the best possible way to complete their mission,” he said.

Walz said during the earlier discussion for building a new facility, there was no guarantee the new armory would be located in New Ulm. He said it spoke to New Ulm’s unwavering support for the National Guard that kept the facility in the community.

“I think you would be hard-pressed to find any community in America that is more supportive of its National Guard,” he said.

Walz thanked Mayor Kathleen Backer and her predecessors for making this possible. He said that at the same time New Ulm was pushing to have the new armory built here, the city was campaigning for the expansion of Highway 14 and managed to get both completed.

Walz believes the new armory will be utilized by the New Ulm community for decades to come.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar thanked her fellow legislators for their support in making New Ulm’s new Minnesota National Guard Armory a possibility during a grand opening for the facility. The $15 million in funding needed for the facility came from a combination of local, state and federal sources. She described the development of the facility as a model for future developments.

Klobuchar thanked her fellow legislators for their support in making the armory a possibility. The $15 million in funding needed for the facility came from a combination of local, state and federal sources. She described the development of the facility as a model for future developments.

Klobuchar thanked all the members of the Minnesota National Guard for their service. She said that it is up to the public to provide support. It is the reason the legislators worked hard to create the new facility to help execute their mission of keeping the public safe.

She said the new facility is 40,000 square feet in size, compared to the previous armory that was 11,000 square feet and over 100 years old.

“To say this is a big improvement is minimizing the change,” Klobuchar said. “The improvements you made here are an investment in this region and an investment in the future of the Minnesota National Guard.”

Finstad also thanked the men and women in uniform for their service and said the new armory facility was for them and future generations. He said the community of New Ulm followed in the footsteps of its grandparents and great-grandparents in bringing an armory to New Ulm.

Major General Shawn Manke speaks at the grand opening for New Ulm’s new National Guard Armory, thanking the community of New Ulm for its hospitality.

“Now it is a part of our generation’s legacy,” he said. “We want this to be in New Ulm for the next 100 years.”

Finstad said the new armory project was unique due to its support from local, state, and federal sources and believed it was a sign that, even with today’s divisive politics, there was still bipartisan support for the men and women serving in the military, protecting national security.

Backer thanked the Minnesota National Guard for maintaining its 110-year relationship with the city.

“We don’t take this relationship for granted,” she said.

Backer said the old armory has many great memories for the citizens of New Ulm. Beyond the National Guard, the armory was used for special events and activities in New Ulm, from dances and roller skating to basketball games and wrestling matches.

“We are show thankful you have chosen New Ulm again,” Backer said. “Here we are at the beginning of what I hope is another 100 years of partnership and relationship to serve the country.”