Masons are in the Capitol rotunda today preparing a plinth for the “Genius of Connecticut” statue, which is expected to arrive next month from the New York art foundry that poured the replica of the plaster version of the winged goddess that sits inside the north entrance. When it arrives, the 16-foot-tall bronze, identical to the original that stood atop the Capitol for 60 years before getting slightly unhinged during the Hurricane of 1938, will fill the rotunda until an additional $100,000 is raised to literally hoist it and fasten it above the dome.
The Blogster believes that supportive lawmakers such as Rep. Buddy Altobello, D-Meriden, a member of the Capitol Preservation Committee, should lead a statewide effort among school kids – like a buck a head – to raise the cash to get the Genius up to the roof. Schools that raise the most money, say, could be invited to witness the historic hoisting and bused up to the Capitol for the occasion.