40/4 Stacking Chair

This is a 40/4 Side Chair, initially designed by David Rowland in 1964. This particular chair dates to 1979. This iconic form has been praised as one of the most ingenious modern designs of the 20th century, and has been credited for being the first truly stackable chair. This example is important as it was formerly utilized in Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill’s Chase Manhattan Bank project. The chair maintains its original tags. SOM was the firm that originally helped to make the 40/4 chair a viable product. They ordered 17,000 of them for UIC Chicago, which helped Roland and the product thrive afterward. The chair has a solid steel sled base, and has a black plastic seat and back. This example was manufactured by GF Business Equipment (part of General Fireproofing Co) in the 1970s. Later, the Howe corporation would come to buy the rights to produce the 40/4. This chair measures 21 inches deep, 19 inches wide, and 30 inches tall. The seat height is 18 inches. It shows some scratches and scuffs to both the base and the seat, and there are scratches on the paint. Overall, the chair remains in good condition. Please see photos.