'Genius' to grace State Capitol again

Hartford (WTNH) - 'The Genius of Connecticut,' an 18 ft., bronze statue of a winged female will finally be at the state Capitol again for all to see.

The famous statue appeared atop the Capitol from 1878 until 1938. However, in 1938 a hurricane weakened the statue making it structurally unsound.

Every year, hundreds of school kids on tours are told the story as they stand near the original plaster cast for the statue that was made in Rome in 1877.

"During World War II, they took it out of storage and they melted it down during one of those metal/scrap drives and they made bullet casings out of it," said Manny Jainchill, a tour guide at the State Capitol.

Now, today, five years after it was decided to recast the statue in bronze, the replacement has arrived at the capitol.

"The plaster model inside the capitol has been laser scanned; molds made from it and a new 'Genius' was cast from those molds," said Eric Connery, capitol facilities administrator.

In economically sound times, the price tag of $300,000 for the new statue in bronze seemed like a bargain and was approved. Now, with ballooning deficits, there is no money for the expensive task of placing it atop the dome. Instead, the 'Genius', will be placed on a pedestal, and will be the centerpiece of the capitol rotunda for all visitors to see. If the statue were to be placed in it's original position atop the capitol dome, it is estimated that it would cost another $200,000.