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October 21, 1999
Hermann visitors view restoration needsStatue in dire need of repairBy GUY PRIEL Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- For the first time in more than a year, Hermann the German played host to visitors on Wednesday as VIPs from across the state attended an invitation-only event to gather information about the monument's restoration. The event sought to bring together partners in the Phase I restoration project of the monument and to provide information about Phase II, which is pending. "What you are looking at here today is basically a work in progress," City Manager Richard Salvati said. "It is not completed, except at the higher elevations of the monument. But work at the base should be completed this week." Workers will be adding plaster to the base of the monument in a color that matches the lighter paint colors at the top of the monument. There is still some concrete paver work that needs to be done around the structure, John Heymann Jr. of Heymann Construction said. "We are just about complete with the project in the nick of time," Heymann said. "We have stripped the finishes off and have removed the lead paint, which will make it easier to repaint in the future without having to worry about lead control procedures." The colors, a mix of tan and white, were based on what is believed to be the original color scheme used when the monument was built in 1888. An old Hauenstein Brewery poster of the monument showed those colors, Salvati said. The monument's base is made of limestone. Gunnite was applied sometime in the 1950s, which could not be removed during this year's restoration efforts. The base houses an interpretive center, but there is a problem with leakage in that area. The leak, which probably comes the statue itself, has left rust-colored water on a pillar. The interpretive center was originally used as a meeting room for the Sons of Hermann. It contains an old brick-lined vault that rumor states was used to store beer for meetings. The vault is approximately 10 feet deep and has no staircase. "The architect and contractor did an excellent job in helping to maintain the historical status of the monument," Salvati said, referring to the recent work on Hermann. Four lions, originally part of the design of the monument, will be added to the base of the monument in the near future. When city officials determined that renovation of the monument was needed, they were committed to spending $855,000 for the project, including all construction costs, change orders and related fees. The Minnesota Legislature provided funds of $400,000, and $40,000 was provided through a grant from the Minnesota Historical Society's State Capital Project's Grants-In-Aid Program. The remaining $415,000 was raised locally. "When we first considered the renovation project, we had not anticipated needing to do any work on the statue itself," Salvati said. "All that changed on July 20, 1998, when a wind storm caused us to lose a part of Hermann (a wing from his helmet). That prompted us to look at the statue." The city received a donation of $1,000 from the national program known as Save Outdoor Sculptures. A proposal from a firm in Chicago that had assessed the statue's condition estimated repairs at $642,000. "The problem we ran into that time was that we needed to take the statue down and ship it to Chicago for repairs, where it would be gone for a period of two years," Salvati said. "That was simply not acceptable." The city has since received an estimate of $525,000 from Jensen Conservation of Omaha, Neb., a firm recommended by the Minnesota Historical Society. The statue is constructed with U-shaped pipes joined by stringers and sheeting, Salvati said. "We are not sure how to take him down, but we will have to deal with it," Salvati said. "The statue is truly a work of art, and there are elongated rivets caused by years of winds." By using the access to the inside of the statue from Hermann's shield, officials discovered that there was a substantial amount of rust in two of the six inch pipes, according to New Ulm Building Inspector Al Gag. "There are problems with taking him down," Gag said. "Apparently, he was lifted into place by the H frame within the statue and we may have to remove the head to remove him from the base." There is also a possibility that Hermann can be removed at the base by a local contractor. However, the statue is estimated to weigh approximately 3,400 pounds, and the joints are coming apart, which creates a problem, Gag said. A four-inch railing was added to the observation deck at the base of Hermann's feet as a precautionary method because the original railing was so short, Gag said. Northern States Power donated $6,500 for the purpose of installing new lights in the window mounts inside the dome to highlight the statue and new lights at ground level to highlight the monument. Target has donated $50,000 toward Phase II, which is the renovation of the statue itself. It is the only donation received to date for the project, Salvati said. City officials have made an application to the Minnesota Historical Society for a grant of $75,000 to help toward the project. They have also begun a national fund-raising campaign and will make application to the Legislature for funding in fiscal year 2000. The statue, which stands 33 feet from his toe to the top of his sword is the second largest statue of this style in the United States. The total height of the monument is 102 feet high. The idea for the statue was born in the 1880s when the Sons of Hermann, during a meeting in Philadelphia, decided to erect a statue of their hero in what was then the wilderness. The proposal passed in 1881 and was approved in 1885. Construction of the statue started in 1888 in Ohio. Hermann was moved to New Ulm in 1889, where he was placed in storage for five years, because of a lack of funding. The monument was dedicated in 1897 during a ceremony attended by 20,000 people from 23 states. The statue is similar to a 124-year-old one in Detmold, Germany, and is designed in honor of Hermann the Cheruscan, an Armenian soldier in the Roman Army who united the Germanic tribes in defeat of three Roman legions in 9 A.D. The Hermann Monument has been named as a Minnesota Historical landmark and as a project of the Save America's Treasures Program through the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Second District Congressman David Minge is seeking national recognition for Hermann.
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