I once again have led my long-suffering husband to new treasures along the highways and byways of this great country. I never tell the poor man where we are going, I navigate us to the address, telling him to be on the lookout for anything “unusual.” Mister Rain is not a frequent curser, but his initial reaction when he lays his eyes on the Fine Sight is often an expletive. It is always followed, though, by a laugh.
Washington, DC
One Of The World’s Largest Duncan Phyfe Chair
In the Anacostia neighborhood, there is a 19-foot tall Duncan Phyfe chair built in 1858 by the Virginia-based Bassett Furniture company for Curtis Brothers Furniture.
This original chair was made of mahogany, in 2005 it was determined to be in danger of collapse and was torn down. The following year, Bassett erected its replacement: an identical 19-footer, this version, including the cushion, constructed of aluminum, requiring minimal maintenance.
I knew nothing of the history of this chair when I went to see it, but as is often the case with a “Roadside Attraction,” I found way more than I bargained for.
I first came across the chair online, where it was touted as the “World’s Largest Duncan Phyfe Chair.” As I began to write this story, I located articles that both confirmed and disputed this claim, many sources reporting that a chair in Thomasville, North Carolina is larger.
Even more interesting, perhaps the most intriguing discovery I have yet to make about a Fine Sight: In the summer of 1960, Curtis Brothers Furniture hired a glassmaker to build a 10 x 10 foot glass house on the seat of the chair to promote their store.
Three sides of the temporary residence were transparent, the fourth was black and the ceiling was a mirror. Its interior included a bed, shower, toilet, television, phone, curtains, heater, air conditioner and there was a balcony.
Curtis Brothers found their resident for the glass house when 19-year-old Lynn Arnold walked into the store to buy some furniture. Arnold, a model, had the look they wanted and they approached her with the idea. Arnold’s husband wasn’t thrilled, but she agreed to live in the glass house in plain view, 24/7, “indefinitely.”
On August 13, 1960, a forklift took Arnold “home” where she spent her time reading, watching TV, talking on the phone, although her number was unlisted. Though she greeted the crowds who came to see her, the only visitor into the house was her 14-month-old son, Richard, who was raised up to the house via a pulley system. Food and changes of clothes were delivered the same way.
She lived in the glass house for a total of 42 days and was paid $1,500, which today would be $15,700.
I would do it, would you?
Big Green Adirondack Chair
The Big Green Adirondack Chair on the front lawn of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown was part of a 1991 Minnesota art project installed on the National Mall in DC in October 1996. It was made up of 55 chairs, representing the states and U.S. territories, grouped around two 14-foot-tall chairs. When the sculpture was dismantled, one of the huge chairs, in apple green, was placed at the school.
Large Chicken On A Restaurant Roof
As much as my husband and I “pretend” he doesn’t enjoy the Fine Sights I surprise him with, he has, on several occasions, seen something that I could not, bringing it to my attention. This giant chicken atop the Lucky Pollo Peruvian Chicken restaurant was one of these instances. You gotta love giant poultry, in a hat and boots no less, and you gotta love a partner in crime.
Some would say that Washington, D.C. is full of chickens and people sitting on their butts, proving that a Roadside Attraction is often a pefect reflection of its city.
Rest assured, friends, I will continue running down the road trying to loosen our loads.
For other published Roadside Attractions, click below:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Bonus
Part 8
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