Committee told ‘Genius’ statue lacks internal skeleton; reinstall would be separate project

Committee members asked whether the Capitol restoration would include structural reinforcement to allow reinstalling the exterior ‘Genius’ statue. A staff member reported that X‑ray testing showed the statue lacks an internal skeletal frame and is not currently structurally stable enough to be returned to the Capitol dome.

"There's no skeletal body inside that, so it's not stable enough to go up on top of the capitol," the staff member said, describing the results of the recent structural assessment. The staff member said strengthening or recasting the statue would be a separate project from the planned exterior restoration and would require taking the statue off its pedestal and more extensive work.

Members discussed phasing and the critical path for restoration work, noting that if reinforcement or reinstallation is desired in the future it may be efficient to complete reinforcement work before exterior restoration is finalized. The staff member said the original foundry that recast the statue is no longer in business; the team has contacted the company that bought it and another competitor, and one vendor has availability around mid next summer.

The committee asked that cost estimates and an outline of what would be required to reinstall the Genius be prepared for a future meeting so the group can decide whether to pursue the work as a separate project or incorporate elements into broader restoration phasing.