August 2004 Repair of the Herman Monument, New Ulm, MNI am working with Steve Servis of Conservation Solutions, Washington, DC. on this restoration. The project is to replace a boot that has been effectively destroyed by previous botched attempts at restoration and to replace leaves and part of the above mentioned boot which have been torn off by winds and lost. The 32 ft Herman sculpture on the monument is copper repoussé over an iron frame similar to the type of construction used on the Statue of Liberty. |
 |
About the Monument:Herman the Chreuscan. Herman was the Teutonic chieftain who led the successful campaign against the incursion of the Roman Empire in the year 9. His forces massacred the entire army of 6000 professional soldiers.In Germany there is a 67ft statue of him near the Teutoberg Forest were the battle took place, and German emigrants who came to the US in the 1800s decided there ought to be a monument here too to symbolize the spirit of independence and triumph over what was regarded as tyrannical empire. The Monument was commissioned by a group called "The Sons of Herman." The statue was completed and delivered in 1888, but as with the Statue of Liberty funding for the base lagged; and the monument itself was completed in 1897. |
In the studios of the |
Installed on the monument |
Intitial Site Visit
| New Ulm Newspaper Website www.newulmweb.com quote: |
| The New Ulm monument and statue of Hermann was first conceived by architect Julius Berndt of New Ulm. A monument to honor the German hero was approved by the National Grand Lodge of the Sons of Hermann after a great deal of discussion concerning appropriation of funds and location of the monument. After many objections, New Ulm was chosen as the location of the monument through the effort of Julius Berndt and because of' the town's German background. An elevated plot of land was selected for the monument on the west side of the city and the project, headed by Berndt, was started. The cornerstone was laid in 1888, but due to construction funds being slowly obtained, the monument was not dedicated until 1897. The foundation of the stone monument is 42 by 42 feet and extends 10 feet below the surface of the ground. Rising above the stone structure are ten 26-inch diameter steel columns in the center of which is a 4-foot column supporting the statue. Around the center column a steel stairs winds, leading to the cupola beneath the statue. There are ten windows in the cupola, affording a view of the town, and the Minnesota River valley for miles. The statue itself is 32 feet high from the foot to the point of the uplifted sword and 8 1/2 feet across the back. The framework is made of steel piping and the outside shell of hammered copper. It weighs 7,000 pounds, and was made by the W.H. Mullins Company at Salem, Ohio. The total height of the monument is 102 feet. There is a large room in the base of the structure, which was used as a museum in the past. In 1929, the Sons of Hermann Lodge turned the monument and the park land over to the City of New Ulm. |
Two guys patching bullet holes in the back.
Note the Oak leaves on the left side of his helmet. Wind damage has stripped them from the right side, we will be replacing at least 14 of them.
Boots not, to tell. The cast iron sole of Herman's right foot. Previous contractors working on the sculpture had cut holes in the top of the boot in an attempt to get at mounting bolts without unsoldering and removing the boot. They mainly made a mess. They also seem to have trimmed about and inch and a half of material off the bottom edge of the boot.
Missing section, and bent aluminum bar used to copy the shape of the ankle so I can match it later.
the finished template recording shape, position, and angle of the parts I must match.
Herman's right boot on my work table.
Note the funky patches and the chewed off lower edge of the boot. The other boot, the left one, has a recurve and a sole below the point this boot is trimmed at. When placed directly on the cast iron frame, the remaining copper piece does not reach the base of the sculpture; clearly a portion of the boot is missing.