St. Cloud Landmark Statue May Relocate Next to Waite Park Rail Museum

(KNSI) – A St. Cloud landmark that has stood at the corner of city hall property since 1939 could be on the move.

The St. Cloud Planning Commission is being asked to recommend approval of relocating the James J. Hill statue and plaza from city property. They currently sit at the northeast corner of the city hall campus, the former Tech High School site, at 201 12th Avenue South.

The St. Cloud Area Rail Legacy Museum, known as STARail, is working with the City of Waite Park and several local partners to relocate the statue next to the museum and rail yard on 3rd Street North in Waite Park. The goal is to place the statue immediately next to the railroad yard to recognize Hill’s historic impact on rail development across the country.

A recent structural assessment of the statue’s foundation and the adjacent plaza concluded that significant investment is needed to keep it at its current location. The planning-level estimate for repair runs between $160,000 and $221,000. The project’s backers have agreed to cover the relocation costs, removal of the plaza foundation, and rough grading at no cost to the City of St. Cloud.

The proposed move also lines up with a master plan the city adopted in 2018 for the former Tech High School campus, which calls for redevelopment of the north half of the city hall property.

City staff are recommending approval of the relocation, subject to the local partnership carrying out the James J. Hill Park project in Waite Park.

The statue was dedicated on June 17th, 1939, 23 years after Hill’s death. Hill, a railroad tycoon, bought land in what is now Waite Park in 1890 and built a rail car manufacturing plant that operated until 1986.

The item is included in the planning commission’s consent agenda.

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