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B etween 1855 and 1859, when only a few bronze found- ries were operating in America, the Capitol Bronze Shop produced cast bronze and decorative architectural ele- ments for the Capitol Extension, which was then under con- struction. The resourceful supervising engineer, Captain Montgomery C. Meigs (fig. 1), was also in charge of the building's decoration and established the Bronze Shop as part of his program to enrich the building with the work of fine artists and craftsmen. For over four years its foremen and workers cast fine and architectural art sculpture, and they eventually also produced a variety of functional objects. Unfortunately, the shop's first foreman died in 1857, and under his successor its last two years of operation were marred by infighting and accusations of impropriety. Its closure near the end of the Extension project was certainly hastened by this conflict, and the shop ceased operation in 1859. However, it remains worthy of attention today because of its contributions to the Capitol Extension—some of which can still be seen—and its place in the early history of bronze casting in America. Located between B and C streets near Delaware Avenue, now the Senate Park across from the Russell Senate Office Building (fig. 2), the Bronze Shop (referred to at times as the foundry or Bronze Works) was part of Montgomery Meigs's ambitious art program for the Capitol Extension. Architect Thomas U. Walter's initial plan for the new wings of the Capitol was to include only limited decoration, in the public lobbies and chambers. Meigs, how- ever, believed the Extension should be an object of national pride in displaying the best examples of art—both in the interior and on the exterior. Trained as an engineer at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Meigs studied art as part of the required curriculum, and his instructors included painters Seth Eastman and Robert Weir. 2 While a cadet and later as supervising engineer of the Extension, he cultivated his knowledge and interest in art through books and visits to artists' studios and galleries. 3 For the Extension, he engaged foreign artists and craftsman working abroad and in the United States, including on site in Washington, DC. Playing an active role in the creative process, Meigs gave the artists recommendations for books to aid their historical research and also gave input on choices of subject matter as well as suggestions for style and technique. 4 His hands-on approach resulted in the creation of a range of artworks in a variety of mediums, including the murals and frescoes of the Brumidi Corridors and the Rotunda by Constantino Bru- midi; the sculpture of the Senate pediment and the Statue of Freedom atop the dome by Thomas Crawford; the richly pat- terned floor tiles in the Senate and House wings by Minton, Hollins and Company; stained glass by J. & G.H. Gibson; the bronze Columbus Doors by Randolph Rogers; and the sculpture and ornamental bronze work of the Bronze Shop. Establishing a foundry for the Extension at this seminal moment for bronze casting in the United States was in keep- ing with Meigs's strong interest in adopting useful new tech- nology, for bronze casting in America had only just begun in 1850. In Bronze Casting and American Sculpture, 1850–1900, Michael Shapiro examines the shift from plaster, marble, and wood to bronze sculp- tures driven by the desire of Americans to celebrate their national heroes with outdoor public sculptures. Noting that bronze, of course, is a strong metal and better able to endure the outside ele- ments than the other materi- als mentioned, Shapiro also observes that, in the larger view, bronze casting reflected America's increasing self- confidence as a nation ready to develop "technical and artistic independence" from Europe. 5 Europe had long possessed the tradition, and the knowledge, tools, and craftsmen, for bronze sculpture, and foundries were operating in the cities of Munich, Paris, Rome, and Florence. 6 In America prior to 1850, metalwork was limited to iron foundries, which cast such functional objects as stove ornaments and weathervanes in iron and copper and produced a few iron sculptures. 7 This situation began to change with the establishment of American bronze foundries in the 1850s. Among them were Clark Mills's Foundry (Washington, DC); Ames Manufacturing Company (Chicopee, Massachusetts); Archer, Warner, Miskey & Co. (Philadelphia); and Cornelius & Baker (Philadelphia)—all of which cast bronze works of art for the Capitol Extension. In establishing a bronze shop, Meigs, who embraced new developments, advancements, and opportunities, entered this still small and relatively new group producing bronze casts in America. This new role was in part the result of one that Meigs had already assumed during his work at the Capitol: he had sud- ALL IMAGES THIS ARTICLE: ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL Fig. 2. The bronze shop was located near the Capitol. 17 THE CAPITOL DOME