History Teak Adirondack Chair

History of the Teak Adirondack Chair

By: Tonya kerniva

Teak Adirondack Chair. Now a beloved staple as American as apple pie and baseball, the teak Adirondack chair comes to us as culmination of history that connects upstate New York to the Far East over thousands of years.

Teak Adirondack Chair

Teak wood was originally harvested in the monsoon forests of Southeast Asia, but today it is also grown in parts of South and Central America. In the Middle Ages, teak was first used as a structural building material, but it was not used for furniture until the 19th century. In the mid-1800s the first teak plantation appeared in Burma, and from there it became a popular choice for wooden furniture in colonial India. From there it traveled to Victorian England, where the teak chair and other teak furniture became as symbol of the traditional English country garden. Teak also enjoyed a long history of shipbuilding because of its saltwater-resistant properties and flexible nature. In recent years, teak has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts as the prime wood in patio sets and other outdoor furniture.

The Adirondack chair, on the other hand, does not have such a lengthy and exotic history, but its story is no less interesting than that of the teak chair. In Blue Mountain Lake, New York at the turn of the 20th century, a man named Thomas Lee was faced with a problem; he did not have enough outdoor chairs to seat all of the 22 members of his family. Thus, he began working on his first prototype of a wooden chair that would be appropriate for both indoor and outdoor use while also being comfortable. It was around this time that he created the first Adirondack chair, though originally it was a called the Westport chair, named after a small town near to Blue Mountain Lake that was situated in the Adirondack Mountains. Though not the most promising looking design, the chair turned out to be quite comfortable, what with its signature wide arm rests and slated boards. As a result of his original success, Lee showed his chair around to the local townsfolk, including his acquaintance, a carpenter by the name of Harry Bunnell. Though Lee originally intended his Adirondack chair for personal use, Bunnell saw the great profit potential, and in 1904 he secured for himself a patent on the Adirondack chair without the knowledge of Thomas Lee.

Over the next few decades, Bunnell modified the chair, and several variations on the original design came to pass, but the classic Adirondack shape retained its popularity. The natural nautical wood look and relative affordability of the model further boosted the appeal of the chair, which became a hit among coastal towns and for swimming pool owners. Today, one can visit the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake which features not only authentic antique chairs but also celebrates the culture of outdoorsman living in that region of the northeast around the same time period. You can also purchase an original Bunnell chair, but for a price. They cost around $1,200 each, whereas Bunnell first sold them for $4.00.

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