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| title = Emeco 1006 Navy Chair
| title = Emeco 1006 Navy Chair
| image = Emeco 1006 navy chair.png
| image = Emeco 1006 navy chair.png
| caption = An Emeco 1006 chair
| caption = An Emeco 1006 aluminium chair
| launch year = 1944
| launch year = 1944
| company =
| company = [[Emeco]]
| available = Yes
| available = Yes
| current supplier = [[Emeco]]
| current supplier =
| last production = Current
| last production =
| url = [http://www.emeco.net/products/emeco-1006-navy-chair-brushed-us-navy Official website]
| url = [https://www.emeco.net/products/chairs/1006-navy-chair-hand-brushed Official website]
| notes =
| notes =
}}The '''Emeco 1006''' (pronounced ten-oh-six), also known as the '''Navy''' chair, is an aluminum chair manufactured by [[Emeco]].<ref name="three">{{cite news|title=Peace Work|first=Jeffrey|last=Hogrefe|newspaper=Metropolis Magazine|date=May 2000|pages=84–89}}</ref><ref name="seven">{{cite news|title=Philippe Starck updates a wartime design icon|last=Lasker|first=David|newspaper=Canadian Interiors|date=July 2000}}</ref> The 1006 was originally built for Navy warships during [[World War II]], but later became a designer chair used in high-end restaurants and by interior designers. In the 1990s, the company began creating designer versions of the 1006 chair, such as the stackable Hudson chair and the [[111 Navy Chair]] made from [[recycled plastic]]. Emeco also makes stools, tables, and other furniture. As of 2012, more than one million Emeco 1006 chairs have been produced.<ref name="Goldsmith 2012 p. ">{{cite book | last=Goldsmith | first=Sara | title=Vitamin green | publisher=Phaidon | location=London New York, NY | year=2012 | isbn=978-0-7148-6229-3 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Simenc|first1=Christian|title=La saga Emeco|journal=Le Moniteur Architecture AMC|date=1 June 2007|volume=171|url=http://www.lemoniteur.fr/articles/la-saga-emeco-1045787|publisher=Groupe Moniteur|language=fr}}</ref>
}}The '''Emeco 1006''' (pronounced ten-oh-six), also known as the '''Navy chair''', is an aluminum chair manufactured by [[Emeco]].<ref name="three">{{cite news|title=Peace Work|first=Jeffrey|last=Hogrefe|newspaper=Metropolis Magazine|date=May 2000|pages=84–89}}</ref><ref name="seven">{{cite news|title=Philippe Starck updates a wartime design icon|last=Lasker|first=David|newspaper=Canadian Interiors|date=July 2000}}</ref> The 1006 was originally built in 1944 for Navy warships during [[World War II]], but later became a designer chair used in high-end restaurants and by interior designers. In the 1990s, the company began creating designer versions of the 1006 chair, such as the stackable Hudson chair and the [[111 Navy Chair]] made from [[recycled plastic]]. Emeco also makes stools, tables, and other furniture. As of 2012, more than one million Emeco 1006 chairs have been produced.<ref name="Goldsmith 2012 p. ">{{cite book | last=Goldsmith | first=Sara | title=Vitamin green | publisher=Phaidon | location=London New York, NY | year=2012 | isbn=978-0-7148-6229-3 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Simenc|first1=Christian|title=La saga Emeco|journal=Le Moniteur Architecture AMC|date=1 June 2007|volume=171|url=http://www.lemoniteur.fr/articles/la-saga-emeco-1045787|publisher=Groupe Moniteur|language=fr}}</ref>

The 1006 seems to be a redesign of a chair originally designed and built in 1909 for the first Selfridges & Co. Shopping Mall on Oxford Street, London, UK. The chair was commissioned by American-born retail magnate Harry Gordon Selfridge for his first mall in the UK. A wooden version was built for the popular 1909 Corner Restaurant located inside the mall (ref. Alamy Stock Photo, Selfridges restaurant, 1909 ), while the aluminum version was built for the Radio and Television shop. The European chairs (both the wood and aluminum) had curved back with three vertical struts and a slight curve on the back legs.


==History==
==History==
Emeco founder Wilton C. Dinges developed the Emeco 1006 chair in 1944 in collaboration with the [[Aluminum Company of America]] (ALCOA).<ref name="eight"/><ref name="eleven">{{cite news|title=Hot Seat|first=Tim|last=Stuhldreher|newspaper=Central Penn Business Journal|date=June 18, 2010}}</ref> It was originally designed for the US Navy, which needed a chair for the deck of battleships that could survive sea air and a torpedo blast to the side of the ship.<ref name="three"/><ref name="eight"/> The chairs had [[eye bolt]]s under the seat, so they could be attached to a ship-deck using cables.<ref name="two"/> When competing for the Navy contract, Dinges is reported to have demonstrated the chair's durability by throwing it out of an eighth floor window of a Chicago hotel where the Navy was examining submissions. It bounced, but did not bend or break.<ref name="99%">{{cite web |title=77 Steps: Episode 310 |url=https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/77-steps/ |website=99% Invisible |publisher=99% Invisible |accessdate=June 11, 2018 |date=June 5, 2018}}</ref>
Emeco founder Wilton C. Dinges developed the Emeco 1006 chair in 1944 in collaboration with the [[Aluminum Company of America]] (ALCOA).<ref name="eight"/><ref name="eleven">{{cite news|title=Hot Seat|first=Tim|last=Stuhldreher|newspaper=Central Penn Business Journal|date=June 18, 2010}}</ref> It was originally designed for the US Navy, which needed a chair for the deck of battleships that could survive sea air and a torpedo blast to the side of the ship.<ref name="three"/><ref name="eight"/> The chairs had [[eye bolt]]s under the seat, so they could be attached to a ship-deck using cables.<ref name="two"/> When competing for the Navy contract, Dinges is reported to have demonstrated the chair's durability by throwing it out of an eighth floor window of a Chicago hotel where the Navy was examining submissions. It bounced, but did not bend or break.<ref name="99%">{{cite web |title=77 Steps: Episode 310 |url=https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/77-steps/ |website=99% Invisible |publisher=99% Invisible |access-date=June 11, 2018 |date=June 5, 2018}}</ref>

A similar design called the No. 4295 chair which was part of the "GoodForm" line of products was produced by the General Fireproofing Company of Youngstown, Ohio in the 1930s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vitra Design Museum: Collection |url=http://collectiononline.design-museum.de/#/en/object/39502?_k=g4tf8v |access-date=2022-10-08 |website=collectiononline.design-museum.de}}</ref>


After the war, Emeco started selling 1006 chairs to prisons, hospitals and government offices.<ref name="one">{{cite news|first=Charles|last=Gandee|title=Ship Shape|newspaper=New York Times Magazine|date=April 16, 2000|accessdate=June 8, 2015|pages=104–105|url=http://partners.nytimes.com/library/magazine/specials/041600ship-shape.1.html}}</ref> The chair was sold to restaurants in the 1980s and 1990s, under Jay Buchbinder's leadership,<ref name="two">{{cite news|first=Julie|last=Lasky|newspaper=Interiors Magazine|title=French Twist|date=May 2000|pages=106–111}}</ref><ref name="four">{{cite news|last=Beck|first=Ernest|title=How I Did It: Gregg Buchbinder – And sometimes your market finds you|newspaper=Inc Magazine|date=October 2004}}</ref> then as a designer chair in the 2000s after Emeco was acquired by his son, Gregg.<ref name="four"/><ref name="99%"/> French designer [[Philippe Starck]] designed a total of 14 chairs and 4 tables for Emeco.<ref name="two"/><ref name="one"/>
After the war, Emeco started selling 1006 chairs to prisons, hospitals and government offices.<ref name="one">{{cite news|first=Charles|last=Gandee|title=Ship Shape|newspaper=New York Times Magazine|date=April 16, 2000|access-date=June 8, 2015|pages=104–105|url=http://partners.nytimes.com/library/magazine/specials/041600ship-shape.1.html}}</ref> The chair was sold to restaurants in the 1980s and 1990s, under Jay Buchbinder's leadership,<ref name="two">{{cite news|first=Julie|last=Lasky|newspaper=Interiors Magazine|title=French Twist|date=May 2000|pages=106–111}}</ref><ref name="four">{{cite news|last=Beck|first=Ernest|title=How I Did It: Gregg Buchbinder – And sometimes your market finds you|newspaper=Inc Magazine|date=October 2004}}</ref> then as a designer chair in the 2000s after Emeco was acquired by his son, Gregg.<ref name="four"/><ref name="99%"/> French designer [[Philippe Starck]] designed a total of 14 chairs and 4 tables for Emeco.<ref name="two"/><ref name="one"/>


In 2006, [[Coca-Cola]] began a collaboration with Emeco to create a 1006-based chair<ref>{{cite news|title=Coke classic you can sit on|last=Keeps|first=David|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=May 30, 2010}}</ref> made out of recycled Coca-Cola bottles,<ref name="five">{{cite news|last=Kristal|first=Marc|title=Starck's Material World|newspaper=Metropolis Magazine|date=May 11, 2012|pages=96–97|url=http://www.metropolismag.com/May-2012/Starck-8217s-Material-World/}}</ref> which was released in 2010.<ref name="Tischler 2010">{{cite news | last=Tischler | first=Linda | title=Coke + Emeco: Get Hitched, Spawn Chairs | newspaper=Fast Company | date=April 9, 2010 | url=http://www.fastcompany.com/1613151/coke-emeco-get-hitched-spawn-chairs | accessdate=September 25, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Dwell 2011">{{cite web | title=Emeco's 111 Navy Chair | website=Dwell | date=January 23, 2011 | url=http://www.dwell.com/how-they-make-it/article/emecos-111-navy-chair | accessdate=September 25, 2015}}</ref> ''Metropolis Magazine'' said it was a public relations effort by Coke to make a durable product out of their bottles; they also hoped to encourage other manufacturers to do the same.<ref name="five"/>
In 2006, [[Coca-Cola]] began a collaboration with Emeco to create a 1006-based chair<ref>{{cite news|title=Coke classic you can sit on|last=Keeps|first=David|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=May 30, 2010}}</ref> made out of recycled Coca-Cola bottles,<ref name="five">{{cite news|last=Kristal|first=Marc|title=Starck's Material World|newspaper=Metropolis Magazine|date=May 11, 2012|pages=96–97|url=http://www.metropolismag.com/May-2012/Starck-8217s-Material-World/|access-date=July 12, 2015|archive-date=July 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710172056/http://www.metropolismag.com/May-2012/Starck-8217s-Material-World/|url-status=dead}}</ref> which was released as the 111 Navy Chair in 2010.<ref name="Tischler 2010">{{cite news | last=Tischler | first=Linda | title=Coke + Emeco: Get Hitched, Spawn Chairs | newspaper=Fast Company | date=April 9, 2010 | url=http://www.fastcompany.com/1613151/coke-emeco-get-hitched-spawn-chairs | access-date=September 25, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Dwell 2011">{{cite web | title=Emeco's 111 Navy Chair | website=Dwell | date=January 23, 2011 | url=http://www.dwell.com/how-they-make-it/article/emecos-111-navy-chair | access-date=September 25, 2015}}</ref> ''Metropolis Magazine'' said it was a public relations effort by Coke to make a durable product out of their bottles; they also hoped to encourage other manufacturers to do the same.<ref name="five"/>


In 2005, [[Target Corporation|Target]] started selling an Emeco 1006 imitation product supplied by Euro Style. The supplier said it planned to modify the chair's style to avoid a legal dispute over alleged trademark infringement.<ref name="exactly"/> In October 2012, Emeco filed a lawsuit against [[Restoration Hardware]] for allegedly making unauthorized reproductions of the 1006 Navy chair.<ref name="six">{{cite news|last=Lasky|first=Julie|title=Once Again, Seeing Double|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 10, 2012|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/garden/copying-classic-designs-is-the-focus-of-a-lawsuit-against-restoration-hardware.html|accessdate=June 8, 2015}}</ref> Restoration Hardware removed the chair from its website, stopped selling the chair, and reached an undisclosed settlement with Emeco.<ref>{{cite news|title=Naval Battle Ends as Emeco, Restoration Hardware Settle Chair Dispute|first=Stephanie|last=Murg|date=January 29, 2013|url=http://www.adweek.com/fishbowlny/naval-battle-ends-as-emeco-restoration-hardware-settle-chair-dispute/297737|newspaper=Adweek|accessdate=June 10, 2015}}</ref><ref name="99%"/>
In 2005, [[Target Corporation|Target]] started selling an Emeco 1006 imitation product supplied by Euro Style. The supplier said it planned to modify the chair's style to avoid a legal dispute over alleged trademark infringement.<ref name="exactly"/> In October 2012, Emeco filed a lawsuit against [[Restoration Hardware]] for allegedly making unauthorized reproductions of the 1006 Navy chair.<ref name="six">{{cite news|last=Lasky|first=Julie|title=Once Again, Seeing Double|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 10, 2012|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/garden/copying-classic-designs-is-the-focus-of-a-lawsuit-against-restoration-hardware.html|access-date=June 8, 2015}}</ref> Restoration Hardware removed the chair from its website, stopped selling the chair, and reached an undisclosed settlement with Emeco.<ref>{{cite news|title=Naval Battle Ends as Emeco, Restoration Hardware Settle Chair Dispute|first=Stephanie|last=Murg|date=January 29, 2013|url=http://www.adweek.com/fishbowlny/naval-battle-ends-as-emeco-restoration-hardware-settle-chair-dispute/297737|newspaper=Adweek|access-date=June 10, 2015}}</ref><ref name="99%"/>


The Emeco 1006 chair is featured regularly in design magazines and movies, such as ''[[The Matrix]]'',<ref name="three"/><ref name="eleven"/><ref name="wsj">{{cite news|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|title=Aluminum Design Gains Luster|first=Ulla|last=Rogalski|date=February 15, 2002|pages=W4}}</ref> ''[[Law & Order]]'' and ''[[CSI (franchise)|CSI]]''.<ref name="exactly"/> In Europe the original 1006 chair is sometimes referred to as "the prison chair" due to its use in government prisons and in prison-related movie scenes.<ref name="wsj"/>
The Emeco 1006 chair is featured regularly in design magazines and movies, such as ''[[The Matrix]]'',<ref name="three"/><ref name="eleven"/><ref name="wsj">{{cite news|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|title=Aluminum Design Gains Luster|first=Ulla|last=Rogalski|date=February 15, 2002|pages=W4}}</ref> ''[[Law & Order]]'' and ''[[CSI (franchise)|CSI]]''.<ref name="exactly"/> In Europe the original 1006 chair is sometimes referred to as "the prison chair" due to its use in government prisons and in prison-related movie scenes.<ref name="wsj"/>


==Description==
==Description==
The original Emeco 1006 chair has a curved back with three vertical struts<ref name="six"/> and a slight curve on the back legs.<ref name="eight"/><ref name="99%"/> It weighs about seven pounds<ref name="two"/><ref name="one"/> and is guaranteed to last 150 years.<ref name="six"/> Most of the original chairs from the 1940s are still in use.<ref name="three"/> The traditional aluminum chairs are made mostly out of recycled aluminum, but also [[silicon]], [[iron]], [[copper]], [[magnesium]], [[chromium]], [[titanium]] and [[zinc]].<ref name="seven"/> Emeco 111 chairs are made out of 60 percent recycled plastic and 30 percent glass fiber. The Emeco 111 chair was named based on it being made of at least 111 recycled Coca-Cola bottles.<ref name="five"/>
The original Emeco 1006 chair has a curved back with three vertical struts<ref name="six"/> and a slight curve on the back legs.<ref name="eight"/><ref name="99%"/> It weighs about seven pounds<ref name="two"/><ref name="one"/> and is guaranteed to last 150 years.<ref name="six"/> Most of the original chairs from the 1940s are still in use.<ref name="three"/> The traditional aluminum chairs are made mostly out of recycled aluminum, but also [[silicon]], [[iron]], [[copper]], [[magnesium]], [[chromium]], [[titanium]] and [[zinc]].<ref name="seven"/> Emeco 111 chairs are made out of 60 percent recycled plastic and 30 percent glass fiber. The Emeco 111 chair was named based on it being made of at least 111 recycled Coca-Cola bottles.<ref name="five"/>


[[File:Emeco Hudson chair.jpg|thumb|right|The Hudson chair]]As of 2014, there are approximately 88 Emeco chair models.<ref>{{cite news|title=Exploring the History of an Iconic Chair|publisher=CBS This Morning|first=Mo|last=Rocca|date=January 6, 2014|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/exploring-the-history-of-an-iconic-chair/|accessdate=June 9, 2015}}</ref> The first designer version of the 1006 chair in the "Emeco by Starck" line<ref name="two"/><ref name="one"/> was the Hudson chair,<ref name="five"/> named after the [[Hudson Hotel]] that put a Hudson chair in every room.<ref name="seven"/><ref name="eight">{{cite news|title=A Craft Is Saved as U.S. Navy Chair Becomes a Design Icon : Ode to a Wartime Workhorse|first=Linda|last=Hales|date=August 22, 2000|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/22/style/22iht-hales.t_0.html|accessdate=June 9, 2015|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> It has a similar silhouette as the original 1006, but has a reflective or brushed aluminum surface, a solid backrest and is stackable.<ref name="two"/><ref name="one"/> It also came in swivel and upholstered versions.<ref name="seven"/> The reflective glossy versions of the 1006 chair are polished for eight hours, substantially increasing their cost.<ref name="two"/> There are also Emeco-brand barstools, [[swivel chair]]s, rocking chairs and armchairs.<ref name="four"/>
[[File:Emeco Hudson chair.jpg|thumb|right|The Hudson chair]]As of 2014, there are approximately 88 Emeco chair models.<ref>{{cite news|title=Exploring the History of an Iconic Chair|publisher=CBS This Morning|first=Mo|last=Rocca|date=January 6, 2014|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/exploring-the-history-of-an-iconic-chair/|access-date=June 9, 2015}}</ref> The first designer version of the 1006 chair in the "Emeco by Starck" line<ref name="two"/><ref name="one"/> was the Hudson chair,<ref name="five"/> named after the [[Hudson Hotel]] that put a Hudson chair in every room.<ref name="seven"/><ref name="eight">{{cite news|title=A Craft Is Saved as U.S. Navy Chair Becomes a Design Icon : Ode to a Wartime Workhorse|first=Linda|last=Hales|date=August 22, 2000|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/22/style/22iht-hales.t_0.html|access-date=June 9, 2015|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> It has a similar silhouette as the original 1006, but has a reflective or brushed aluminum surface, a solid backrest and is stackable.<ref name="two"/><ref name="one"/> It also came in swivel and upholstered versions.<ref name="seven"/> The reflective glossy versions of the 1006 chair are polished for eight hours, substantially increasing their cost.<ref name="two"/> There are also Emeco-brand barstools, [[swivel chair]]s, rocking chairs and armchairs.<ref name="four"/>


Emeco's chairs are manufactured by hand in [[Hanover, Pennsylvania]]<ref name="two"/><ref name="one"/> through a two-week, 77-step process.<ref name="three"/><ref name="two"/> Eames Demetrios, the grandson of designer [[Charles Eames]], published a documentary film on the manufacturing process called "77 Steps."<ref name="eight"/><ref name="exactly">{{cite news|title=Not Exactly a Stand-Up Move|first=Linda|last=Hales|newspaper=Washington Post|date=July 9, 2005|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/08/AR2005070801970.html|accessdate=June 25, 2015}}</ref> Many believe the chair is cast from a single form, but it is actually welded together from 12 pieces.<ref name="three"/><ref name="two"/> Sheets of aluminum are rolled into tubes, cut to length, and bent into shapes on large hydraulic machines. Various notches and punchouts are made so pieces can fit together before welding.<ref name="profile">{{cite news|title=Making a fortune... in aluminum office chairs|date=March 1953|newspaper=Modern Metals}}</ref> Workers grind down the welding joints to give it a smooth finish, creating the appearance of being cast from a single piece.<ref name="profile"/> The chair goes through a repeated heating and cooling cycle that increases the strength of the aluminum.<ref name="three"/><ref name="99%"/> The chairs are also [[anodized]].<ref name="profile"/> Originally swivel chair bases and other parts were purchased from a supplier, but in the 1950s, Emeco began purchasing manufacturing equipment to manufacture them in-house.<ref name="profile"/>
Emeco's chairs are manufactured by hand in [[Hanover, Pennsylvania]],<ref name="two"/><ref name="one"/> through a two-week, 77-step process.<ref name="three"/><ref name="two"/> Eames Demetrios, the grandson of designer [[Charles Eames]], published a documentary film on the manufacturing process called "77 Steps."<ref name="eight"/><ref name="exactly">{{cite news|title=Not Exactly a Stand-Up Move|first=Linda|last=Hales|newspaper=Washington Post|date=July 9, 2005|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/08/AR2005070801970.html|access-date=June 25, 2015}}</ref> Many believe the chair is cast from a single form, but it is actually welded together from 12 pieces.<ref name="three"/><ref name="two"/> Sheets of aluminum are rolled into tubes, cut to length, and bent into shapes on large hydraulic machines. Various notches and punchouts are made so pieces can fit together before welding.<ref name="profile">{{cite news|title=Making a fortune... in aluminum office chairs|date=March 1953|newspaper=Modern Metals}}</ref> Workers grind down the welding joints to give it a smooth finish, creating the appearance of being cast from a single piece.<ref name="profile"/> The chair goes through a repeated heating and cooling cycle that increases the strength of the aluminum.<ref name="three"/><ref name="99%"/> The chairs are also [[anodized]].<ref name="profile"/> Originally swivel chair bases and other parts were purchased from a supplier, but in the 1950s, Emeco began purchasing manufacturing equipment to manufacture them in-house.<ref name="profile"/>


==References==
==References==
Line 39: Line 39:
==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category|Emeco 1006}}
{{commons category|Emeco 1006}}
* [http://www.emeco.net/products/emeco-1006-navy-chair-brushed-us-navy Official website]
* [http://www.emeco.net/products/emeco-1006-navy-chair-brushed-us-navy Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130804105250/http://www.emeco.net/products/emeco-1006-navy-chair-brushed-us-navy |date=2013-08-04 }}
* {{cite news|title=Exploring the History of an Iconic Chair|publisher=CBS|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/exploring-the-history-of-an-iconic-chair/}}
* {{cite news|title=Exploring the History of an Iconic Chair|publisher=CBS|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/exploring-the-history-of-an-iconic-chair/}}


Latest revision as of 08:09, 23 May 2024

Emeco 1006 Navy Chair
Inception1944
ManufacturerEmeco
AvailableYes
WebsiteOfficial website

The Emeco 1006 (pronounced ten-oh-six), also known as the Navy chair, is an aluminum chair manufactured by Emeco.[1][2] The 1006 was originally built in 1944 for Navy warships during World War II, but later became a designer chair used in high-end restaurants and by interior designers. In the 1990s, the company began creating designer versions of the 1006 chair, such as the stackable Hudson chair and the 111 Navy Chair made from recycled plastic. Emeco also makes stools, tables, and other furniture. As of 2012, more than one million Emeco 1006 chairs have been produced.[3][4]

History

[edit]

Emeco founder Wilton C. Dinges developed the Emeco 1006 chair in 1944 in collaboration with the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA).[5][6] It was originally designed for the US Navy, which needed a chair for the deck of battleships that could survive sea air and a torpedo blast to the side of the ship.[1][5] The chairs had eye bolts under the seat, so they could be attached to a ship-deck using cables.[7] When competing for the Navy contract, Dinges is reported to have demonstrated the chair's durability by throwing it out of an eighth floor window of a Chicago hotel where the Navy was examining submissions. It bounced, but did not bend or break.[8]

A similar design called the No. 4295 chair which was part of the "GoodForm" line of products was produced by the General Fireproofing Company of Youngstown, Ohio in the 1930s.[9]

After the war, Emeco started selling 1006 chairs to prisons, hospitals and government offices.[10] The chair was sold to restaurants in the 1980s and 1990s, under Jay Buchbinder's leadership,[7][11] then as a designer chair in the 2000s after Emeco was acquired by his son, Gregg.[11][8] French designer Philippe Starck designed a total of 14 chairs and 4 tables for Emeco.[7][10]

In 2006, Coca-Cola began a collaboration with Emeco to create a 1006-based chair[12] made out of recycled Coca-Cola bottles,[13] which was released as the 111 Navy Chair in 2010.[14][15] Metropolis Magazine said it was a public relations effort by Coke to make a durable product out of their bottles; they also hoped to encourage other manufacturers to do the same.[13]

In 2005, Target started selling an Emeco 1006 imitation product supplied by Euro Style. The supplier said it planned to modify the chair's style to avoid a legal dispute over alleged trademark infringement.[16] In October 2012, Emeco filed a lawsuit against Restoration Hardware for allegedly making unauthorized reproductions of the 1006 Navy chair.[17] Restoration Hardware removed the chair from its website, stopped selling the chair, and reached an undisclosed settlement with Emeco.[18][8]

The Emeco 1006 chair is featured regularly in design magazines and movies, such as The Matrix,[1][6][19] Law & Order and CSI.[16] In Europe the original 1006 chair is sometimes referred to as "the prison chair" due to its use in government prisons and in prison-related movie scenes.[19]

Description

[edit]

The original Emeco 1006 chair has a curved back with three vertical struts[17] and a slight curve on the back legs.[5][8] It weighs about seven pounds[7][10] and is guaranteed to last 150 years.[17] Most of the original chairs from the 1940s are still in use.[1] The traditional aluminum chairs are made mostly out of recycled aluminum, but also silicon, iron, copper, magnesium, chromium, titanium and zinc.[2] Emeco 111 chairs are made out of 60 percent recycled plastic and 30 percent glass fiber. The Emeco 111 chair was named based on it being made of at least 111 recycled Coca-Cola bottles.[13]

The Hudson chair

As of 2014, there are approximately 88 Emeco chair models.[20] The first designer version of the 1006 chair in the "Emeco by Starck" line[7][10] was the Hudson chair,[13] named after the Hudson Hotel that put a Hudson chair in every room.[2][5] It has a similar silhouette as the original 1006, but has a reflective or brushed aluminum surface, a solid backrest and is stackable.[7][10] It also came in swivel and upholstered versions.[2] The reflective glossy versions of the 1006 chair are polished for eight hours, substantially increasing their cost.[7] There are also Emeco-brand barstools, swivel chairs, rocking chairs and armchairs.[11]

Emeco's chairs are manufactured by hand in Hanover, Pennsylvania,[7][10] through a two-week, 77-step process.[1][7] Eames Demetrios, the grandson of designer Charles Eames, published a documentary film on the manufacturing process called "77 Steps."[5][16] Many believe the chair is cast from a single form, but it is actually welded together from 12 pieces.[1][7] Sheets of aluminum are rolled into tubes, cut to length, and bent into shapes on large hydraulic machines. Various notches and punchouts are made so pieces can fit together before welding.[21] Workers grind down the welding joints to give it a smooth finish, creating the appearance of being cast from a single piece.[21] The chair goes through a repeated heating and cooling cycle that increases the strength of the aluminum.[1][8] The chairs are also anodized.[21] Originally swivel chair bases and other parts were purchased from a supplier, but in the 1950s, Emeco began purchasing manufacturing equipment to manufacture them in-house.[21]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Hogrefe, Jeffrey (May 2000). "Peace Work". Metropolis Magazine. pp. 84–89.
  2. ^ a b c d Lasker, David (July 2000). "Philippe Starck updates a wartime design icon". Canadian Interiors.
  3. ^ Goldsmith, Sara (2012). Vitamin green. London New York, NY: Phaidon. ISBN 978-0-7148-6229-3.
  4. ^ Simenc, Christian (1 June 2007). "La saga Emeco". Le Moniteur Architecture AMC (in French). 171. Groupe Moniteur.
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