Last month, the New Ulm City Council held a work session on whether to acquire two former Minnesota National Guard properties that were recently vacated following the construction of a new field maintenance shop and a new armory.

The former armory is at 205 N. Broadway and the former field maintenance shop is at 1523 S. Washington Street. By Minnesota state statute, New Ulm has the right of first refusal on both properties. The cost to acquire the two properties would be $1 each.

During the February work session, the New Ulm City Council was fully in support of acquiring the former field maintenance shop because there were multiple city uses for the property including snowplow storage or Fire Department storage. The former armory building was a harder sell, as the council could not think of an obvious use for the building. Most of the council believed the former armory building might better serve the private sector.

This all changed during Tuesday’s city council meeting.

Tuesday, the New Ulm City Council officially agreed to move forward with purchasing the former National Guard Field Maintenance Shop located at 1523 S. Washington Street for $1. The city has long been interested in acquiring the property for city use. Photo by Clay Schuldt

Council member David Christian said initially he wanted nothing to do with the armory — he viewed it as a money pit that would incur greater costs for the city. However, after receiving a few calls from the public, Christian favored acquiring the armory for $1 and then selling it to a private entity for $1.

He said there were other people interested in acquiring the armory building. The city could take temporary ownership of the building and transfer it to one of the other interested parities.

Christian said the only catch was the city could not profit off the transaction. That means if the city purchased if for a $1, they would need to sell it for a $1.

Council member Eric Warmka said he had also heard from constituents that the city should acquire the armory building to make sure it does not fall into the wrong hands. The hope is the city can find someone to redevelop the property and add it to the tax base.

New Ulm Building Official Ellwood Zabel provided a structural review of the armory property during the meeting. Zabel said overall the bones of the building were strong with few structural issues. The only problem area was a section of brick work that was bulging out on on the 2nd N. Street side near the ramp. The parapets on top of the building would require tuck pointing and eventually some of the windows would need to be replaced.

The interior of the armory has one large gym space on the main floor, but the rest of the building is divided up into smaller rooms.

Zabel said the National Guard did supply the city with yearly utility costs for the properties. The armory utilities saw a wide range. In 2025, armory utility costs for the year were $27,549 but in 2023, utilities for the year were only $10,661.

Council member Larry Mack asked if it would be legal for the city to purchase the armory, make some repairs and then sell it at a higher price to recoup repair expenses.

City Attorney Robert Scott believed the city would have the right to recoup any investment made in the property, but said he would get back to the city on whether this was legal.

Council member Tom Schmitz made the motion to approve moving forward with the acquisition for both the field maintenance shop and armory. Christian seconded the motion and it was approved by the council.