Posted 9 years ago
BDBell
(1 item)
Antique Folding Cast Iron CHURCH Chairs Wood row of 4 Vintage????
Can anyone tell me anything about these chairs? They appear to be antique church chairs/theater chairs/school chairs. They have "book holders" on the underside of the seat. They are obviously antique/vintage. I cannot find any type of identification on them. Any idea where I can go to find their value if any and exactly what they are? Thanks in advance for any help.
These were called "row seats". These are a bit fancy for a school application. The punched out back and five point star may be your best clue during research. The holes weren't just a design they were also for air flow when sitting for an extended period of time ( like during a movie) so your back didn't sweat. Late 1800's and early 1900's there were a number of players making row seats for different applications. American seating comes to mind right away. There was a much smaller company back around 1890 that made row seats with vented backs both punched and woven wicker type. I think some were used on trains but memory fails me.
fhrjr2, Thank you so much for this information! This gives me an awesome start to find out more about these "row seats". Loved hearing your history of these.
These are actually theatre seats, they are usually sold at auctions and I have seen numerous ones since the 1970's at auction and have purchased some. The ones I have seen are usually in rows of 4.
I initially missed your comment about a book holder under the seat. Obviously a theater has no use for a book holder. I enlarged your photo and that is not a book holder. It is a wire hat holder under the seat. That will help you narrow down the actual age. Obviously a baseball cap wouldn't fit, maybe a derby, a stetson, top hat? I found similar seats online that were used in theaters, churches and stadiums.
These look like the chairs we used to have in the "choir loft" at church. Not meant to be comfortable. :-)
I have 2 chairs that look a bit like yours. Mine were made by Racine School Furniture....around 1890. M