Alexander Tatti, founder of Alexander's Sculptural Service, was born in New York City in 1919. Tatti's parents, Italian immigrants, encouraged him in his pursuit of the arts, and in 1937 he took an apprenticeship with Anton Basky, a former modeler for Rodin. In 1949, Tatti purchased Basky’s foundry and opened his own practice. Located in mid-town Manhattan, Tatti’s firm provided art fabrication, conservation, restoration, and sculptural work in stone and bronze. Alexander's Sculptural Service worked with Ruth Havey in the 1950s to provide cast models of garden ornamentation and metalwork for the gardens at Dumbarton Oaks. This included bronze wheat sheafs for the North Vista railings and a lead shield for the Finalities tablet in the Rose Garden. In later years, the firm took a high profile project performing verdigris patina restoration on the Statue of Liberty.
References:
1940 United States Census (Population Schedule), New York, New York, New York; p. 4B, Line 41, Victoria Tatti household; digital images, Archives.com (http://www.archives.com/1940-census/alexander-tatti-ny-57568344?&FirstName=Alexander&LastName=Tatti&Location=NY&UniqueId=57568344&folderImageSeq=810, accessed August 4, 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 2650.
Tatti, Steve. “Our History.” Steve Tatti, Fine Arts Conservator. Accessed August 4, 2014. http://www.stevetatti.com/art-history/