Thomas Lee gave his original plank chair design to carpenter friend Harry Bunnell, who patented it (as illustrated here) in 1904, without telling Lee. Bunnell made selling the chairs a successful business for himself (with no profits to Lee), into the
2
Thomas Lee gave his original plank chair design to carpenter friend Harry Bunnell, who patented it (as illustrated here) in 1904, without telling Lee. Bunnell made selling the chairs a successful business for himself (with no profits to Lee), into the
3
The original Adirondack chair was called the Westport plank chair(for the Lake Champlain town in which it was first made). Originals are rare, but reproductions, like this one shown here) are available from <a href="http://clarksoutdoorchairs.com/west
4
The original Adirondack chair was called the Westport plank chair(for the Lake Champlain town in which it was first made). Originals are rare, but reproductions, like this one shown here) are available from <a href="http://clarksoutdoorchairs.com/west
5
The classic Adirondack chair has inspired countless variations, including those with seats and backs that curve rather than keep the original’s starkly angled, flat back and seat. Here’s a curved example (found at Garden Fever). This model
6
The classic Adirondack chair has inspired countless variations, including those with seats and backs that curve rather than keep the original’s starkly angled, flat back and seat. Here’s a curved example (found at Garden Fever). This model
7
What would the inventive Thomas Lee think of the molded plastic versions of his iconic Adirondack chair? Maybe he would put his feet up on the matching plastic stool.
8
What would the inventive Thomas Lee think of the molded plastic versions of his iconic Adirondack chair? Maybe he would put his feet up on the matching plastic stool.
9
The plastic Adirondack chairs are inexpensive (about $22) and easy to find at local hardware stores. They’re even stackable, as the candy-colored display on Hankins Hardware’s sidewalk shows us.
10
The plastic Adirondack chairs are inexpensive (about $22) and easy to find at local hardware stores. They’re even stackable, as the candy-colored display on Hankins Hardware’s sidewalk shows us.
11
For me, both the back and seat of the Adirondack chair should be relentlessly long and straight (and joined at an angle deep enough that it’s a bit hard to get up from, making it all the more cozy to sit in). My notion of the proper design prob
12
For me, both the back and seat of the Adirondack chair should be relentlessly long and straight (and joined at an angle deep enough that it’s a bit hard to get up from, making it all the more cozy to sit in). My notion of the proper design prob
Summer outdoor chairs are made for lounging, for lazing, and for making memories in. One that probably lives somewhere in the memory of most of us is the Adirondack chair. It’s the iconic, modest, wood-planked, steeply-angled chair that was first built more than 100 years ago in the small town of Westport, New York, along the banks of Lake Champlain.
That chair was designed by Thomas Lee in 1903; he wanted some porch furniture, and tested out prototypes on his large family at their summer cottage. His simple wooden chair has gone on to inspire countless variations, imitations and offspring. It’s also had a name change. Originally known as the Westport Plank chair, by now it’s long been called the Adirondack chair, named after the East Coast mountain range a few miles from Westport.
The essential characteristics of the Adirondack chair, however, are the same now as they were in 1903: steeply-angled back and seat (the better to sit, stable and even, on a sloping site) and broad, ample armrests (excellent for setting a drink or plate on, or resting arms on, or even sitting on). Even the modern, inexpensive plastic versions (available for barely more than $20) retain those qualities.
Otherwise, today’s Adirondack chairs sport a number of changes and sometimes fussy additions to the classic, simple original. But those variations probably say something about the resilience and versatility of the design. Even in its early incarnations, the chair morphed. Lee designed and constructed the first models, but passed the drawings on to a carpenter friend of his, Harry Bunnell. From that point on, the chair has survived and thrived.
Check out the slide show to see the origin and evolution of the Adirondack chair and read more about its history.
Published in the City Trails issue of Portland Monthly.
