Skip to main content
RETURN TO Return to WETA website Donate
Boundary Stones logo

Main navigation

  • Washington, D.C.
  • Maryland
  • Virginia
  • Video
  • About
DC

The Big Chair in Anacostia

11/26/2012 in DC by Mark Jones
  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email
In one of D.C.'s more creative publicity stunts, this oversized chair in Anacostia served as a home for model Lynn Arnold in 1960. (Source: Flickr user stgermh. Used via Creative Commons license.)
In one of D.C.'s more creative publicity stunts, this oversized chair in Anacostia served as a home for model Lynn Arnold in 1960. (Source: Flickr user stgermh. Used via Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.)

Creative advertising wasn’t just for Don Draper and the New York Mad Men.

In 1959, Anacostia’s Curtis Bros. Furniture Company commissioned Bassett Furniture to construct a 19.5 foot tall Duncan Phyfe dining room chair to put on display outside their showroom at V St. and Nichols Ave. SE (now Martin Luther King, Jr Blvd. SE). Made from African mahogany and weighing some 4,600 pounds, "The Big Chair" was labeled the largest chair in the world. However, titles and records weren’t enough for the marketing folks at Curtis Bros. They had another idea in mind for their new toy.[1]

The company hired a glassmaker to build a 10 x 10 foot glass house on the seat of the chair. The tiny cube had three transparent sides (the fourth was black) and its ceiling was a mirror.[2] Inside, it was equipped with curtains, a bed, shower, toilet, television, phone, heater, air conditioner and balcony – a comfy, if also cozy, arrangement for a tenant who could overlook the obvious fact that her entire life was on display, day and night.

Curtis Bros. then set out to find a resident for the new apartment – someone who would live there in plain view, 24-7, and attract attention to the store. They found their girl when 19 year-old Lynn Arnold walked in the store looking to buy some furniture. Arnold, a model and the reigning Washington Junior Chamber of Commerce’s “Miss Get Out the Vote 1960,” had just the look that store managers wanted for their new glass house and they approached her with the idea of living on the chair. After some consideration, Arnold agreed (over the objections of her husband), with the understanding that the scene was to be more wholesome than racy.[3]

As she told the Washington Post later, “I didn't want to do anything like stand up there naked or in a bathing suit. They wanted a Cinderella figure; they didn't want Marilyn Monroe. I figured I could pull this off without being branded a slut.”[4]

On August 13, 1960, a forklift delivered Arnold to her high abode. For the next 42 days she lived in the glass house, spending her days reading, watching television, talking on the phone (she had an unlisted number!) and greeting the crowds who came to see her. Her meals and changes of clothes were delivered by a crude dumbwaiter system, which occasionally tipped over and spilled onto the furniture store parking lot.[5] She had no regular visitors in the apartment except for her 14-month-old son, Richard, who was raised up to her.[6]

After six weeks above, Arnold announced that she was “groundsick” and came down from the chair on September 23.[7] When it was all said and done, she earned almost $1500 for her trouble and the Curtis Bros. Furniture Company earned considerably more than that in publicity.

For more about  the Big Chair, check out the Curtis Bros. website. Anyone remember seeing her in person?

Footnotes

  1. ^ Schwartzman, Paul, “You Better Sit Down. The Big Chair's Gone.; Anacostia Laments Loss of a Landmark,” Washington Post, 28 Aug 2005: C1.
  2. ^ “Living in the Open,” Washington Post, 14 Aug 1960: A14.
  3. ^ Schwartzman, Paul, “You Better Sit Down. The Big Chair's Gone.; Anacostia Laments Loss of a Landmark,” Washington Post, 28 Aug 2005: C1.
  4. ^ Ibid.
  5. ^ “Model Gets Out of Her Glass Home,” Washington Post, 24 Sep 1960: C2.
  6. ^ Schwartzman, Paul, “You Better Sit Down. The Big Chair's Gone.; Anacostia Laments Loss of a Landmark,” Washington Post, 28 Aug 2005: C1.
  7. ^ “Model Gets Out of Her Glass Home,” Washington Post, 24 Sep 1960: C2.
Last Updated:
10/15/2020

About the Author

Mark Jones has called the D.C. area home since he was three years old. As a child he enjoyed taking family trips to Colonial Williamsburg and impersonating historical figures for elementary school book reports. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in History from Davidson College and a Master's in History and New Media from George Mason University. Prior to coming to WETA, Mark worked as an interpreter for the National Park Service at Arlington House: The Robert E. Lee Memorial, where (much to the amusement of his friends) he wore the "Smokey the Bear" hat as part of his uniform and occasionally donned period clothes. (Photos are classified.)

More posts by Mark Jones »
Tags
Anacostia
1960s

Share

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

You Might Also Like

  • Georgetown’s Mischievous Tradition of Clock Hand Thievery

    Georgetown’s Mischievous Tradition of Clock Hand Thievery

    Georgetown University holds true to traditions of academic excellence, religious customs and…clock tower mischief?

  • "New Girl in Town": Washington Gets a Leonardo

    "New Girl in Town": Washington Gets a Leonardo

    Washington is home to the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Americas. It took perseverance, a secret mission, and $5 million to get it here.

  • The Beatles' Awkward Embassy Soiree

    The Beatles' Awkward Embassy Soiree

    After their first-ever U.S. concert in Washington in 1964, the Beatles headed to the British Embassy for an awkward soiree.

Surprise Me!

Not sure where to start reading? Let us pick a story for you!

Categories

  • DC (565)
  • Maryland (106)
  • Virginia (146)

Latest Posts

"DC" Really Stands for Demon Cat... Which Haunts the U.S. Capitol

03/17/2023

"DC" Really Stands for Demon Cat... Which Haunts the U.S. Capitol

From the Mixed-Up Files of the Smithsonian Museum of American History: The Heist of 1981

03/10/2023

From the Mixed-Up Files of the Smithsonian Museum of American History: The Heist of 1981

The "Capitalsaurus": How a Dinosaur That Never Existed Became an Official Mascot of D.C.

03/03/2023

The "Capitalsaurus": How a Dinosaur That Never Existed Became an Official Mascot of D.C.

Most Popular

"¡Tirarlo a la calle!": D.C.'s Latino Festival of 1971

06/21/2022

"¡Tirarlo a la calle!": D.C.'s Latino Festival of 1971

The Perils of Pandemic and War: Spanish Flu Brings D.C. to its Knees

08/15/2022

The Perils of Pandemic and War: Spanish Flu Brings D.C. to its Knees

Jousting Over Maryland's State Sport

05/20/2022

Jousting Over Maryland's State Sport

Tags

1860s1870s1890s1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990sAlexandriaArlingtonBlack HistoryBygone DCCivil WarGeorgetownMusic HistorySports HistoryWhite HouseWomen's HistoryWorld War IWorld War II
More
Historical D.C. Metro Map
Tweets by BoundaryStones
WETA

Footer menu

  • Support WETA
  • About WETA
  • Press Room
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • RSS
  • Accessibility

Contact Us

  • 3939 Campbell Avenue
    Arlington, VA 22206 | Map
  • 703-998-2600
  • boundarystones@weta.org

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

About Boundary Stones

Boundary Stones explores local history in Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland and northern Virginia. This project is a service of WETA and is supported by contributions from readers like you.

DONATE

Copyright © 2023 WETA. All Rights Reserved.

Bottom Footer

  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Guidelines