History of the Adirondack Chair

The Adirondack chair has been around since the early 1900s. Thomas Lee first designed the original chair in 1904.

Vacationing with his large family near the Adirondack forest in New York, he wanted a truly comfortable lawn chair to furnish his summer home.

Nailing boards together on the front lawn, he asked other members of his family to test prototypes and tell him which were the most comfortable. With this research as a guide, he built a chair with a sloping seat and back and wide-arm rests. His chair was an immediate success with the family.

Thomas Lee's creation might never have become famous, except that Lee offered the design to a friend in Westport. The friend, Harry Bunnell, had a small carpentry shop. Bunnell quickly realised that Lee's chair was just the thing to sell to summer residents of the area. The design soon become famous and to represent classic styling, wealth and comfort.

To find out more about the chairs and the region visit the Adirondack Museum site.