Hermann's lions OK with MHS

Cast-iron lions

installed last fall on pedestals of base of Hermann the German statue

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- The Hermann Monument cast-iron lions now have the blessing of Minnesota Historical Society's architect. The approval virtually clears the way for the city to obtain the $400,000 in state matching grant funds.

What remains to be done, according to Assistant City Manager Tom MacAulay, is for the Herman Monument Interpretative Center Committee to get approval of a plan for expanding the center and tourist promotion from the historical society and Minnesota's Office of Tourism.

Charles Nelson of St. Paul recently visited New Ulm to determine if the lions which sit atop their individual pedestals on the monument base are a suitable replacement for the copper originally planned for those pedestals.

The cast-iron lions were painted by New Ulm Body Shop employee Rich Weikle to match the weathered green color of the copper-clad Hermann statue.

"I'm very pleased with the artistry of the person who painted them," Nelson said. "I also was surprised how well they sit on the pedestals. It looks like the pedestals were made exactly for them."

There was no problem in approving them, Nelson said, because "I judged them on the appropriateness of the appearance, rather than the material. They go very well with the statue; they look like they belong there."

That is, until the statue is taken down to be conserved by putting the wing from Hermann's helmet, which was broken off in a wind storm, back on and returning it to its natural brown color.

"It will take about 10 years for the statue to regain its weathered green look," Nelson said. "I suggested the city preserve the natural color (with a hot-wax coating), but they said they were going to let it weather to green."

Nelson expressed disappointment with this plan, but "I guess they didn't want to have to get a boom-truck out every 10 years to re-coat him."

Does that mean he's concerned about the lions not matching Hermann for a decade.?

"If that means should they re-paint the lions a matching brown, no, they don't have to do that," Nelson responded.

"They do have to realize, though, that the cast-iron lions will require a lot of maintenance to prevent them from rusting out," Nelson explained, "and I've told them (city officials) that."

Nelson said he had earlier told local officials that the lions should be electroplated with copper sheeting to ensure their longevity.

"But, it's an expensive process, and the city didn't feel it would have the money to do that."

Nelson said it's important that cast-iron statues be properly primed and sealed both inside and out, and that they be inspected frequently to catch rust blisters as soon as they occur.

According to Tom Haala, his New Ulm Body Shop crew primed and sealed on both the outside and inside. Because the lions are in a resting pose, Haala's crew was able to get up into the lions' bodies after the almost-two-ton lions were lifted off their bases by a crane.

"We were able to get a light up into the lions to inspect the interior to check for gaps, and we were able to clean out any dust and debris before doing the sealing," Haala said.

Haala was surprised to find each lion was made up of "10 to 15 pieces" of cast iron.

"We had to look carefully to be sure we were getting sealant in all the spaces," Haala said. "It was rough-looking inside."

That's a process that is more often associated with assembling sheet-steel statues, said Paul Storch, St. Paul, the Minnesota Historical Society's senior objects conservator.

Sealing and coating the lions inside and out is only part of a program designed to give cast-iron statues longevity, Storch noted.

"Every spot where water can get into the statue has to be sealed preferably with a zinc-base sealant," Storch explained. "This is particularly true if the base is a separate piece because not only can water form inside from humid air, but snow and ice can build up around and over the base. Then, if not protected with sealant, ice and snow melt can work its way under the statue."

But having everything properly sealed isn't a "do it and forget it type of thing," Storch said.

"With the lions being in that many pieces, you never know if, in our climate, the various plates will expand and contract at the same rate because it depends on whether they were all made in the same batch," Storch explained. "With that many pieces, chances are they aren't. Then, with that situation, the sealant can 'pop' causing an infiltration point so regular inspection is important."

Because most communities "salt" their streets during the winter, a spring rinsing is a requirement.

"Any amount of salt drift from the road can cause erosion of the paint layer," Storch said.

To ward off interior corrosion problems from water collection, Storch said each lion should have drilled "weep" holes near the base to allow water to drain.

"With our statues here, we don't allow snow and ice build-up on the bases to melt," Storch said. "When there's a storm, our guys are right out there afterward removing snow and chipping the ice away from the bases.

"It's a big job," Storch concluded, "but if you do it right, a cast-iron statue can last indefinitely."