World's Largest Chair
Thomasville
Description: This monument is a tribute to Thomasville's furniture industry. It is the second chair that has stood in this location, as the original, a wooden structure, rotted. This cement chair stands 30-feet high.
Nickname: "The Big Chair" or "The Chair"
Inscription:
Front: "The Chair" / of Thomasville / THE CHAIR IS AN EXEMPLAR AND INSPIRATION FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS TO EMULATE AND PERPETUATE THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR TIME-HONORED FURNITURE DESIGNERS AND CRAFTSMEN...THE ORIGINAL CHAIR WAS THE CREATION OF THE FAMOUS AMERICAN DESIGNER DUNCAN PHYFE
Left: ERECTED 1950
Right: THOMAS JOHNSON - DEI. / JAMES HARVEY - SCULP.
Dedication date: On January 9, 1951 the cornerstone was laid.
Creator: Salem Steel Company, Builder
Thomas W. Johnson, Designer
Materials & Techniques: Cement, wire mesh, and steel skeleton.
Post dedication use: During the 1960 presidential campaign, Lyndon B. Johnson stood on it during a campaign stop.
Subject notes: The chair commemorates the furniture industry which is a large employer in Davidson county.
Controversies: It is not considered largest chair any longer.
Landscape: This monument is located alongside railroad tracks in downtown Thomasville, NC.
City: Thomasville
County: Davidson
Subjects: Industry