Messenger - Vol. 3, No. 1, Page 15 Fall 1993 In fine fettle The restored allegorical figure of freedom was returned to the dome of the U.S. Capitol, Oct. 23, marking the 200th anniversary of Congress. Bill Allen, Delaware '72, architectural historian for the Capitol, first discovered how the statue atop the dome was placed there in 1863, which made it easier to remove the figure for conservation. "It's one of those things that historians can tell engineers," says Allen. The five-month restoration project cost $780,000.