The Gigantic Chair of Anniston

When driving between Atlanta and Birmingham, the best place to take a break is in Anniston, AL, equidistant from these two prominent Southern cities and home to one of the largest chairs in the world. This chair is 31 feet tall and can withstand 85 mph winds. It is made of ten tons of steel and has a spiral staircase that leads to the seat. Supposedly it also has the world's biggest wad of gum underneath it.

This chair, which was once the world's largest and has now been eclipsed, was preceded by many other "World's Largest Chairs", beginning in 1905 with a 12-foot chair in Massachusetts. The title of "World's Largest Chair" has been a contentious one, with many American towns vying for the title. At one time Morristown, Tennessee; Bennington, Vermont; Washington, DC and Thomasville, North Carolina have all claimed the world's largest chair. This particular large chair was built in 1981 by the "Miller's Office Furniture" store in Anniston, Alabama and held the title, until the creation of "Broken Chair" a 39 foot tall sculpture of a chair with one broken leg, was installed in front of the Palais des Nations in 1997.

Japan is currently building an even taller chair.