Rustic Roots

The great grandfather of my Weekender chair came from Westport, New York. Thomas Lee designed and Harry Bunnell patented what became known as the "Westport Plank Chair" in 1903-1905. Reading from the patent application, "the object of this invention is a chair of the bungalow type adapted for use on porches, lawns and at camps. A further object of this invention is to produce a strong durable chair adapted to withstand rough usage and exposure to the weather." Using measured shop drawings obtained from the Adirondack Museum, I made a Westport Chair to see if I could build on Lee's earlier design. The result is my Weekender chair. I kept the wide paddle arms but raised and changed the pitch of the seat to ease egress. It's hard to find an original Westport chair. I believe that is due to Bunnell's use of hemlock (not rot-resistant) and ordinary steel screws. Stainless steel had not yet been invented! So much for durability. Most of the original Westport chairs likely fell apart and rotted away. If you can find an original, grab it. They can fetch up to $3500 at auction. For my Weekender chairs I chose to utilize solid hardwood construction and stainless steel fasteners which are countersunk and plugged to insure years of trouble free use. In addition, paint technology has come a long way since the early 1900's. Ben Moore's new Aura line of exterior acrylics are as good looking as they are durable and weather tight. All that said, It is pretty much impossible to improve on the Westport's rugged good looks. While my design strives to merge traditional and contemporary sensibilities, Lees' chair is truly a classic. Tough to improve on that.