Elbert Chair
The lines of the Elbert Chair were inspired by scenes from Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road,” in which the protagonists drive a ‘48 Hudson 90 miles an hour across the US stopping only for hitchhikers, jazz, and apple pie. These chairs were created in 1990-1991 for the Cypress Club in San Francisco, serving new American dishes paired with California wines. The Cypress Club is located just down the street from City Lights Bookstore — publisher of many Beat poets and writers.
The heavy-wall steel tubing for the legs was hand-formed around a carved-wooden jig by a very large and curmudgeonly craftsman named Elbert (after whom the chair was named) as motivation for completing the chair on time.
This variation on the Elbert Chair, created for JMA’s Times Square Project of 2006, has an inset foot, replacing the original front foot spheres. Modifications were also made to the back bracket.
PROCESS+MATERIALS
This Elbert Chair’s frame is composed of mandrel-bent, welded, and powder-coated, recycled steel. The upholstery is custom-dyed leather.
DIMENSIONS
H 31 in. x W 18 in. x D 25 in.
(H 78.74 cm. x W 45.72 cm. x D 63.5 cm.)
VARIATIONS
Blue or orange leather upholstery.
Please inquire for options currently available
DATE OF DESIGN/MANUFACTURE
1990-1991/2006
CREDITS
Elbert Chair portraits by Monica Kass Rogers. Photos of the Cypress Club by Kingmon Young. Photos of Times Square Hotel by Jeff Zaruba. Sketches for the chair by Jordan Mozer.
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