Ballpark Chairs

[MacDice]

I have the chance to pick up some old seats from a former MLB park. The seats have been outside for over 30 years thus they are very weathered. The wood is in decent shape and the hinges are a little rusty (still work). I am debating if I should keep them as is or try and restore them. Suggestions? Recommendations?

[BrandonG]

I have a pair of Original Angel Stadium chairs in my baseball room, and while not made of wood, they have great character with a weathered look. I'd keep them original if I were you, I think it shows the age and character of what they really are.

In Washington state Mac? Did you manage to find some seats from Sicks Stadium? If so, congrats... love that ballparks connection to the Seattle Steelheads (1946) more so, than the Seattle Pilots (1969). If you have a chance to get a few seats why not restore one and leave the others weathered? Then, perhaps, a better decision can be made. Unfortunately a seat can not be un-restored so pick the worst looking one of the bunch.

[mcgwirecom]

I like to restore them but not OVER restore them. I take a stripping wheel and remove all the loose paint and clean off the rust and just repaint the last color they were. Since this is all they really did through the years it will look as it did while it was being used. And it doesn't really look like it was totally restored. Plus you can bring it in the house to display or use without worrying about the loose paint and rust.

[thansen30]

I have 3 wooden chairs from Wrigley Field, from somewhere between the '20s and the '60s. I've had them for 30 years. I did professionally restore them, purely because the weather-beaten look was a deteriorated eyesore. Guests wouldn't even sit on my chairs, because of their horrible condition. It absolutely diminishes the "value," but I am much happier with them now, and they still retain their backstory and their charm. And now they're useful, too. So for me it's a personal decision--whether you want to preserve the original "value" or have them restored. I like mine better restored.

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by mcgwirecom

I like to restore them but not OVER restore them. I take a stripping wheel and remove all the loose paint and clean off the rust and just repaint the last color they were. Since this is all they really did through the years it will look as it did while it was being used. And it doesn't really look like it was totally restored. Plus you can bring it in the house to display or use without worrying about the loose paint and rust.

A friend of mine(I will note that he is a notorious bull-sh!tter), supposedly can land me a few seats from Cleveland Municipal Stadium.. I haven't put much thought into it(because he's usually full of it), but if he were to actually come through for once, I'd probably take the approach that you just mentioned..

[thansen30]

agree with not over-restoring them. you still want to see the layers left over from years of repainting and imperfections from years of exposure. just cleaned up and freshened with appropriate paint, as they would have done if they were still in use . . .

[drc]

Especially if they are going to be displayed in your home, I think it's acceptable to make them presentable. Technically, if they are weather beaten from being outside for 30 years they aren't in their original state. Their original state presumable would have been clean and nicely painted. The irony is restoration can bring it closer to it's original look.

As it is a large piece of furniture, with a functional, the question of restoration (and usability) can be different than with a baseball card.

[JimH5]

I have two pairs of unrestored wooden seats from Milwaukee County Stadium. They are pretty worn, with a few coats of green paint in various states of peeling.

While I haven't tested the paint, I would think some or all of it has some lead in it. Probably most of the old stadium seats have lead paint on them.

Something to consider when choosing to restore...

[baseballart]

I have a couple of old seats from Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver. These supposedly were originally in Sicks Stadium, but I have not seen this verified. I have left them unrestored


Max

[drc]

I'm not an expert, but once asked the very ballpark chair question to my dad who is a retired chemical and biological engineering professor. He said if no one is eating the paint chips or licking the paint, old lead paint chairs are likely to fairly fairly safe if left alone. He said it you sanded it as part of restoration, then lead would get in the air.

[Fuddjcal]

How apropos that I would get these today, the day of the big Dodger Trade!!!!Original Dodger Stadium Seats restored from all original hardware & wood!!!

The back story is this...my Dad worked as a Cement Mason on the Construction of Dodger Stadium. He brought many souvenirs home, but none were more cherished by friends & family more than the 10 seats my dad brought home from the Original Dodger Stadium construction in 1959-61. We had them prominently displayed in our back yard in 1960's & 70's. Those seats were lost forever as the property was sold in the mid 1980's,… and with it went the chairs....

Fast forward to 2002. As my Dad is in a battle for his life, we talk about many things. The one thing I don’t forget, is that he tells me that there are "MORE" Dodger chairs that he stashed under his mothers house...

Sadly, my father lost his battle that year at the age of 62. My grand-mother continued on her journey, she was still only a spry 94. I looked under my grandmother’s house on occasion, hoping to find the treasures that my dad had told me about? I saw NOTHING. In 2008, my grandmother decided she'd had enough; she was 102 when she passed.

In 2010, I was in charge of my grandmother’s estate and selling her home in the San Fernando Valley that she lived in for 60 years. After it was sold, we had a termite inspection that included the crawl space underneath the house. The inspector told me that way underneath, there are all these "metal things" scattered around

Later that year in 2010, I was dragged to a wedding in Mexico with my wife. I met a Dodger Fan and told him my story....We became friends and he asked if I’d BE INTERESTED IN RESTORING THEM? So, a few months ago, he dragged the parts from storage in my garage......Today, they were delivered looking quite a bit different, yet very familiar.

A HUGE Thanks for the incredible hard work and dedication to restoring these back to life, goes my friend Mike, his friend. A special Thanks to Archer Stadium Seating for all the help, supplies & technical support. My dream today is a reality. Here is the first set of seats to come from that lot!!!!!

They fit perfectly in my office .Like they have been there forever! My dad and gramps won’t be too far from me now. Thanks Dad.

[cubsguy1969]

Wow, those are beautiful. And a beautiful story, too.

[mcgwirecom]

They are real nice. I just finished my Crosley seat. Gonna get Pete Rose to sign it.