Big Chair (uptown)

Martinsville, Virginia, United States

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Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

A 21-foot-3-inch steel replica of Bassett Furniture's centennial Big Chair, installed in December 2020 at Furniture Heritage Plaza in Uptown Martinsville, Virginia, to mark the area's furniture-making history.

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Big Chair (uptown)

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Site-level location · 36.6918° N, 79.8722° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

Martinsville's Big Chair is a steel replica of a much-loved chair that once stood on the same spot, and it stands for the town's furniture-making past.

It sits at Furniture Heritage Plaza in the Broad Street parking lot of Uptown Martinsville, which Martinsville Tourism says was built to pay tribute to the "Deep Roots" and history of Martinsville-Henry County's furniture-making legacy.

The first Big Chair was built by Bassett Furniture to celebrate its 100th anniversary. According to BTW21, it toured the country for about two years before being given to the City of Martinsville in 2009. Martinsville Tourism says it stood at the plaza from 2009 to 2013, when "unexpected issues" forced its removal; WSET reported in 2020 that it was removed for maintenance and was not fit to sit outdoors.

The replacement went up in December 2020. BTW21 reports that it was made of steel instead of wood by PAC Custom Woodworking & CNC Routing, with a fibreglass seat replicating the fabric on a Grove Park Mission chair, which BTW21 describes as Bassett's best-selling style at the time. Martinsville Tourism gives its height as 21 feet 3 inches, its weight as 4,400 pounds and its build time as 519 man hours.

Sarah Hodges, Director of Tourism for the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation, told WSET in 2020 that the original "was a hit in the past with locals and tourists who came to Uptown Martinsville to see one of the largest chairs in America." Martinsville Tourism calls the new chair an icon of the Deep Roots initiative, which aims to highlight the area's furniture legacy.

The tourism office suggests stopping by while visiting Uptown's shops and tagging @VisitMartinsville in photos.

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PRACTICAL

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WHAT TO EXPECT

A 21-foot metal chair in the Furniture Heritage Plaza parking lot in Uptown Martinsville, put up to honour the area's furniture industry. Martinsville Tourism suggests combining a visit with Uptown's shops and invites visitors to tag photos @VisitMartinsville.

ACCESS

Furniture Heritage Plaza, in the Broad Street parking lot of Uptown Martinsville, Virginia. Martinsville Tourism lists the chair at 37 Church St E and the plaza at 100 East Church Street.

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