James J. Hill Statue May Move To Waite Park

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- There is a proposal to move a statue that has been in St. Cloud for nearly 90 years to Waite Park.

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On Tuesday night's Planning Commission meeting agenda, they'll be asked to consider a request to move the James J. Hill statue that has stood at 201 12th Avenue South since 1939.  It's in the northeast corner of what is now the St. Cloud City Hall campus, formerly the old Technical High School property.

It was dedicated on June 17th, 1939, 23 years after his death.

The St. Cloud Area Rail Legacy Museum (STARail) is working with the City of Waite Park and several local partners to potentially relocate the statue to Waite Park, adjacent to the STARail museum and railyard north of 3rd Street North, to a suitable location immediately abutting the railroad yard, recognizing Hill’s historic impact on rail development across the country.

St. Cloud has recently completed a structural assessment of the statue foundation and adjacent plaza, which concluded that significant investment is required to solidify the statue foundation and the adjacent plaza if it's going to remain on the site. The planning-level estimate for repair, stabilization, and accessibility improvements is between $160,000 and $221,000.

The project proponents have agreed to incorporate the relocation costs, removal of the plaza foundation, and rough grading without cost to the City of St. Cloud.

The city has a master plan for the former Tech High School campus, calling for redevelopment of the north half of the property. Relocation of the statue would be helpful in implementing the master plan vision.

The St. Cloud Planning Commission released its updated 2026 Downtown St. Cloud Comprehensive Plan in April.  See the full report here.