Staff photo by Fritz Busch Brown County Commissioners unanimously approved a $269,088 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant Tuesday for Brown County Museum window renovation. Windows pictured above are on the northwest corner of the county-owned building built in 1910 that was the New Ulm Post Office for decades.

NEW ULM — In an effort to continue preservation of the Brown County Historical Society (BCHS) Museum and its contents, Brown County Commissioners unanimously approved a $269,088 Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) grant for window restoration Tuesday.

Action came on a motion by Commissioner Scott Windschitl, seconded by Brian Braun for the grant agreement with a $91,891 local cash/in-kind match.

New Ulm Mayor Kathleen Backer, acting as a volunteer for Brown County and a volunteer to oversee the project, wrote the grant application for phase 4 of the museum building restoration that included $769,566 in grants and $246,539 in matching funds.

“Katherine, without your work, this wouldn’t have been done,” said Commissioner Windschitl.

“It’s a beautiful building,” said Backer. “As with any building, you have to maintain it. The windows are in disrepair. In addition to preventing water and insects from entering the building, there are long-term benefits for completing the project. Brown County owns the (former post office) building repurposed as the Brown County Historical Society Museum.”

She said water is entering the building through damaged window seals and frames and the windows allow insect penetration.

Backer said doing building renovation work in phases has no affect on the tax levy. The first three phases included repairing brick walls and third floor window restoration.

She said the grant supports Brown County’s responsibility to preserve the iconic 1910 New Ulm Post Office building placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

In a June 6, 1974 story in the New Ulm Daily Journal, MHS Executive Director Russell Fridley called the building “One of the most distinctive architectural structures in the state of Minnesota. This handsome building with its strong German style, deserves to be perpetuated and continue to serve a vital public purpose.”

Backer said museum restoration assures the BCHS has suitable space for museum operation plus storage and management of its extensive collections including more than 15,000 artifacts related to Brown County history.

She said phase 5 of museum restoration will include remaining basement, first and second floor masonry work.