Why Are Adirondack Chairs Called Adirondack? | A Name Born In New York

Adirondack chairs get their name from the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, where the design was first created in the early 1900s.

The story begins in Westport, New York, a small town in the Adirondack region. The chair we know today was originally called the Westport chair, but the Adirondack Mountains label won out because it was the more recognizable name for the area. The term stuck so firmly that a century later, the slanted seat and wide armrests still carry the mountain range’s name.

What makes the name so fitting is that the chair itself is built for the region’s lifestyle. Its sloping back and high armrests were designed for lounging on summer porches and lakeside lawns, the very settings that define Adirondack vacations.

Who Invented The First Adirondack Chair?

Thomas Lee, a summer resident of Westport, is widely credited with creating the original chair in the early 1900s. He built it from wooden planks to solve a simple problem: he wanted comfortable outdoor seating for his family at his summer place in the Adirondack region.

It was functional but plain, and the concept caught the attention of Harry C. Bunnell, a Westport carpenter. Bunnell patented and sold his own version of the chair in 1905, capitalizing on the design Lee had shared with him.

But as the design spread beyond the region, people needed a name that made sense to outsiders. “Westport chair” meant little outside that town, while Adirondack instantly painted a picture of a wooded, lake-filled landscape. The regional label simply traveled better.

What Did The Original Westport Chair Look Like?

The earliest Westport chair was heavier and more blocky than the versions you see today. The wide, flat armrests were there from the start, giving sitters a place to rest a drink or a book.

The design evolved over the following decades. One commonly cited milestone is Irving Wolpin’s 1938 patent for a “lawn chair” with a slatted back, which introduced the spaced wooden slats that define the modern look. modern Adirondack chair cup holder options often attach to these same wide armrests, a sign of how the original proportions still shape the design.

Modern versions also tend to be lighter and more contoured than Lee’s original planks, but the basic geometry has stayed remarkably consistent. The seat still tilts back, the backrest still rakes sharply, and the arms still sit wide and flat.

Why Did The Name Change From Westport To Adirondack?

The shift from Westport to Adirondack happened organically, driven by simple geography. Westport sits inside the Adirondack Mountains, and the mountain range was already a famous destination for tourists and summer residents by the early 1900s.

Adirondack was the label people recognized. When the chair appeared at resorts and lake houses across the region, visitors heard the mountains’ name and adopted it. Cartoons and catalogs of the era reinforced the connection, and the name eventually became so universal that Westport chair faded from everyday use.

That broader recognition is exactly why the chair is still called Adirondack today. The name carries a sense of place that “Westport” never could, even though the chair was born in a Westport workshop. The LA Times’ history of the Adirondack chair traces this name shift and the design’s journey from local curiosity to national icon.

FAQs

Was the first Adirondack chair called something else?

Yes. The first version was called the Westport chair or Westport plank chair, named after Westport, New York, where Thomas Lee created it in the early 1900s. The Adirondack name emerged later as the design spread beyond the town and the region’s more famous label took over.

Is the Adirondack chair actually from the Adirondack Mountains?

Yes. The design originated in Westport, New York, which sits inside the Adirondack Mountains region. Thomas Lee built the earliest version there in the early 1900s, and Harry C. Bunnell later patented and sold his own version in 1905.

What makes an Adirondack chair different from other outdoor chairs?

The defining features are the sharply sloping backrest, the wide flat armrests, and the seat that tilts slightly upward toward the front.