Clara Schonlau dies

Schonlau was major contributor to New Ulm's glockenspiel

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- "She was a unique individual who was very fond of New Ulm," former Mayor Carl Wyczawski said of Clara Schonlau who died Tuesday at Oak Hills Living Center at the age of 100.

She was the driving force behind the glockenspiel that now graces Schonlau Park on Minnesota Street at the north end of the business district.

"She had traveled extensively throughout Europe where she saw a lot of glockenspiels in Munich and other smaller communities," Wyczawski recalled. "She contacted Council President Bill Gafford and I because she believed a glockenspiel would be the perfect memorial for her late husband, Theodore. She said she would match anything over $35,000."

Theodore Schonlau was the founder of State Bond and Mortgage Company.

Wyczawski and Gafford led a fund-raising drive that saw the community raising $118,000 from 645 contributors. Schonlau contributed a total of $147,000 to fund the nearly $275,000 project.

While Schonlau's involvement in the fund-raising effort lessened, she kept in close contact with the leaders of the drive, Wyczawski recalled.

"She was a very interesting lady, and we met at her house quite often. I kept track, and we had 106 meetings, generally at her house, on a Wednesday night every month."

The city already owned the land at Fourth North and Minnesota, but there was a contingent who wanted the glockenspiel placed on Center Street, Wyczawski said.

"[Former] City Manager Dick Salvati deserves the credit for finally putting the deal together for what became Schonlau Park," Wyczawski said.

Part of the negotiated deal was the glockenspiel would be set a short distance into the street so that it could be seen from anywhere in the downtown district. It became a key part of the city's new Streetscape project, the former mayor said.

"An interesting sidelight is that Clara became upset with how the project was going and never did leave money for the glockenspiel's perpetual maintenance as she had promised. However, the city has been very generous in assuming the maintenance cost."

In her later years, Schonlau sometimes would come downtown to sit and listen to the glockenspiel music. Wyczawski said he often would introduce her to busloads of tourists as the person who got the project started.

"She was the original glockenspiel lady," Wyczawski said.

Arrangements are pending with Schmucker Funeral Service of New Ulm.