ROTUNDA & UPPER PARK REVITALIZATION PROJECT
Estimated Cost of Total Revitalization Project is $325,000
The money will be used for the restoration of this beautiful historic structure - The Rotunda.
Everyone's help is needed
to preserve this national historic structure
and improve the upper City Park.
Tax-deductible contributions may be sent to
The Brush & Palette Club, Inc.
P.O. Box 145
Hermann, MO 65041
"Friends of the Rotunda" Buttons & Ornaments
now available
at the Red Barn Crafts & Antiques - 573-486-5544
New life is sought for Old Hermann Landmark; Old Rotunda is Studied
New life is on the horizon for an old Hermann landmark. Twice in its 54-year history The Brush & Palette Club has secured authorization from the Hermann City Council to repair and restore The Rotunda in Hermann's Upper City Park. In 1951 repair cost $1,500. Today restoration is estimated at approximately $300,000. In 1951 the Brush & Palette Club enlarged the traditional end-of-school year picnic with its parade, pink lemonade and knackwurst doled out to school children in the Park and originated the Maifest in 1952 as a way of raising funds for the restoration work. In 2005 The Brush & Palette Club is requesting the help of everyone in the community to chip in to make the restoration possible.
The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places but sadly is also currently designated as one of Missouri's Ten Most Endangered Historic Places for 2005. It is believed to be Hermann and Gasconade County's oldest publicly owned structure.
The Building's Design:
The Rotunda is a unique one-story brick eight-sided structure on a stone foundation. Its walls are twelve inches thick. It is capped with double cupolas. The original roof was of wood shingles. The interior space is open to the rafters, revealing an intricate system of truss work. Eight supporting posts are part of its original design.
The Rotunda's Early Years:
The Gasconade County Agricultural Association, one of the oldest agricultural societies in the state, was formed in 1857. Pioneer winegrowers Michael and William Poeschel and George Husmann were early members. The association held annual fairs and offered premiums to encourage improved produce. In 1860, the Agricultural Association purchased 6.11 acres of land for a fairground, the area today roughly encompassed by the amphitheater and the Upper City Park.
The Second Chapter in the Rotunda's History:
With the decline of the wine industry following prohibition, interest in the agricultural fairs apparently declined. In 1923 the Agricultural Association sold its 6. 11-acre fairground, including the Rotunda, Bandstand, and other buildings constructed for fair purposes, to the City of Hermann for $4,000. Thereafter, for about three decades, the Rotunda continued to be the center of a variety of social activities in the Hermann area, including dances, plays, exhibitions and other community activities. It was, in effect, the community center of that era. Benign neglect, likely prompted by the demise of its original purpose for existing and lack of city funds, led to the building's deterioration. By 1950 the building was minus windows, doors, part of the floor and some of the brickwork. The building was slated for demolition.
The First Renewal:
In June 1951 The Brush & Palette Club presented a resolution to the Hermann City Council. The City gave permission for the work, and the preservation movement in Hermann got underway. Funds for the restoration were generated by creating a May Festival, an enlargement of the end-of-school picnic or Maifest to which former residents and students were invited to remind them of their rich heritage. This was the beginning of the modern era of tourism in Hermann.