Monumental Robinson Iron

STORY BY BETSY ILER PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE, CLIFF WILLIAMS & COURTESY OF ROBINSON IRON

Though the foundry he opened in 1946 did not focus on items like fountains, vases and garden furniture, Joe Robinson, Sr., occasionally made such pieces for a small group of friends and family. The Alexander City native purchased the ornamental patterns for these pieces from some of the country’s foremost Northeastern foundries that closed when styles and politics demanded a change from the Classical age to Arts and Crafts.

Among them were patterns from the highly acclaimed foundries of J.L. Mott and J.W. Fiske. Today, those patterns are key in the restoration of historic monuments and landmarks across the nation, and much of that work takes place right here in Tallapoosa County.

Joe Robinson’s sons, Joe Jr. and Ricky, saw a future in the egg-and-dart details, leaf embellishments and grand decorations, according to his grandson, Luke Robinson, who has worked in the family business since he was 14 years old.

“Joe Jr. and Ricky started Robinson Iron Corporation in a trailer in the back parking lot of my grandfather’s foundry to do catalog items,” Luke Robinson explained.

J.L. Mott Iron Works was a maker of cooking stoves, furnaces, fire irons, water tanks and iron pipes that changed the way people lived. Plumbing fixtures, including cast iron enameled bathtubs were a J.L. Mott specialty. The company also exhibited an elaborate cast iron fountain that stood 25 feet tall at the country’s centennial exposition in Philadelphia.

J.W. Fiske & Company was among the most prominent American makers of decorative fountains, statuary and planters and published beautiful catalogs showcasing their wares. These patterns and more were added to the collection of Joe Robinson, Sr., over time, as he acquired them mostly out of a love for cast iron.

Using those classic patterns, the Robinson brothers built a business that has grown to include a variety of fountains, benches, tables, planters and urns. They also were perfectly poised in a go-to position when the aging works of Mott, Fiske and others began to need repairs. “The fountains that Mott and Fiske cast were now 75 to 150 years old, and we had those patterns when these historic fountains needed repairs. And then, those repair jobs brought new fountain jobs,” Robinson said.

The projects included the restoration of canopies and subway entrances in New York’s transportation system;

The works of Robinson Iron enhance the beauty of the Lake Martin area through signage, fountains, garden benches, planters, filagree trims and more

Robinson Iron created the figures and fountain for Mt. Vernon, Ohio’s, Dog Park

the New Jersey Statehouse Dome; the Raffles Hotel in Singapore; and Alabama’s own Vulcan Statue in Birmingham. The local team even performed restoration work on the dome of the U.S. Capitol Building and the Bartholdi Fountain in Washington, D.C.

The Bartholdi Fountain was created by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904), who is best known for the Statue of Liberty. The fountain, which stands 30 feet high and weighs more than 15 tons, was purchased by the U.S. Congress for $6,000 following the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Though the fountain was regularly repaired and maintained, a full restoration was needed early in the 21st century.

Robinson Iron Corporation was charged with the task. The Alexander City craftsmen coordinated the dismantling and removal of the fountain and

the 12 basin lampposts surrounding it. They documented, tagged and prepared each piece for shipping to Alabama, where it was cleaned to bare metal and repairs were made.

Energy efficient bronze fanjets were installed in the fish and turtles that spout water from the fountain base and the second–tier basin. In addition, the electric globe lamps, which in 1915 replaced the original gas fixtures, were replaced with energy-efficient replicas of the original gas lamps.

Then, the piece was repainted: First with a hand applied zinc coating; and then, a primer was sprayed on before a finish coat was applied. The pieces were transported back to Washington, D.C., and the fountain was reassembled under the care of the craftsmen who had come to know it best during its spa restoration treatment.

Last summer, the company was heavily involved in a similar process for the restoration of the Garden Key Lighthouse in Dry Tortugas.

The restoration process walks a fine line, Robinson said, as repairs must be done in such a way that modernizes the historic pieces and yet preserves the original artist’s inspiration and expression. “Landmarks like these are very special. They need to be restored, but we also want them to still look weathered to a degree. We want to keep the character marks that they have earned over the years,” Robinson explained.

And it all starts with a pattern in a back lot warehouse at a family owned business in Alexander City, a small town in rural East Central Alabama with a population of about 14,000.

Ricky Robinson, Joe’s son who, along with his brother, envisioned the ornamental market, still serves as president of Robinson Iron Corporation. The third generation includes Luke Robinson’s brother, Austin, who is the project manager, as well as Luke, who works in sales and marketing. Operations Manager Paul Spickard, Bronze and Architectural Metals Specialist Darlene Lynn and CAD department head Adam Roberts round out the team, along with 30 extraordinarily talented craftsmen who translate the paper plans into spectacular finished works that honor the historians and artists who created some of our country’s most beloved monuments in metal. “People in these places where we travel to work always ask me why a company like this is located in such a small town in Alabama,” Robinson said. “I tell them it’s fantastic being in this community. The great thing is that we have a lot of folks in this area that are very, very talented. We’re very proud that we can bring these great pieces back to Alexander City and restore them to their original beauty and grandeur.”

As the owner of the antique patterns used to create the originals, Robinson Iron has become caretaker of many national fountains and monuments, including the Bartholdi Foundtain in Washington, D.C.