the history of seating america - american seating company

Presented in partnership with the Grand Rapids Public Museum
Welcome, and thank you for taking a moment to experience a virtual tour of American Seating’s 125
year history. As part of our anniversary celebration, we’ve created this informative exhibit at the Grand
Rapids Art Museum, right here in our home town.
The display features American Seating’s versatile history in markets where our products have made a
significant impact on the everyday lives of people; from all manners of portable seating, through opulent
theater environments, to our foundation and evolution in educational venues. We also highlight our
legacy in famous sports stadiums and ball parks, and of course, our dominance in transportation seating.
Our company timeline is rich with history. Our past includes master wood carvers who filled places of
worship with their artistry, to manufacturing and supplying vital materials for our soldiers in WWII. It
was our seat that Rosa Parks refused to relinquish. Our innovations and solutions, such as our benchmark
mobility-aid securement systems, have set industry standards.
But American Seating is not only rich with history, we’re filled with excitement about our future as we begin
our next 125 years with numerous projects, including the renovation of the Superdome. We invite you to
explore our heritage, “The History of Seating America.” When you’ve finished, we hope that you’ll join
us for a visit at our Grand Rapids headquarters.
2011
If you’ve ever ridden in a bus, sat in a desk, enjoyed a performance or been to a ballpark, chances are
you’ve sat in a seat made by American Seating. Chances are, your parents, grandparents and maybe
great-grandparents have too.
The American Seating story begins in 1886 and weaves through the Gilded Age and the Great Depression,
through world wars and the civil rights movement, through urbanism, industrialism, environmentalism,
and everything in between.
And no matter what era we’ve lived through or area we’ve been to, our focus has been to make
seating for everyday people, for just about every public setting imaginable: schools, colleges, offices,
courtrooms, convention centers, ballparks, stadiums, arenas, theaters, churches, buses and trains. Our
products are made in America by members of UAW Local 135.
Welcome to our walk through history: the first 125 years!
Theater Education Transportation Sports Timeline 1930 PR Stunt Video back to the beginningPortable Seating
American Seating began manufacturing folding, portable seating for churches and other multi-use spaces more than 100 years ago. During World War II, we produced 5 million chairs for the U.S. Military. Over the years, both wood and steel folding chairs made by American Seating have sat millions at venues across the country.
Acton® Stack Chair Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort Atlantic City, New Jersey 1990
In 1974, American Seating, with the help of renowned designer Hugh Acton, created the Acton Stack Chair. This stacking chair was developed to provide comfortable, ergonomic, stylish seating that could be stacked and stored quickly and easily. The unique Z-shape design is the core of its versatility and durability. The Acton expanded into an entire line of seating options, broadening its appeal and use. It now has stack, caster-base, stool, tablet-arm and beam-mounted applications.
The new and improved “Folding Fifties” line of folding chairs presented a trio of strong, handy chairs for cafeterias, gymnasiums, auditoriums, assembly halls, waiting rooms, libraries, dormitories, offices and many other spaces. Designed for even greater comfort than their predecessors, the famous “Forties,” the new line of chairs had wider, deeper, shaped seats and wider, deeper formed back panels. They were light and easy to carry. No sliding or binding parts meant no snagging, pinching or soiling hazards.
Steel Folding Chair with Wood Seat No. 54 1950’s
The design and development of the Envoy chair resulted from in-depth ergonomics research. The classroom chair was created for relaxed student posture, attained by the formed seats, deep-curved backs and self- adjusting lower rails that fit each student for near perfect posture and comfort.
Envoy Chair Model 368
1920
Additional seating options were created to accommodate various applications in the Education Market. This birch plywood chair had a deep, curved back that would pivot to adjust for changes in position.
Classmate Plywood Chair
1950’s
American Seating designed the Bodi -Rest as a lightweight stacking chair for a variety of classroom uses. One of the first stacking chairs created, the Bodi-Rest was developed with a new process of blow molding that captured a cushion of air inside of tough, resilient plastic.
Bodi-Rest No. 550
1950’s
Folding Chair Model No. 50
1900’s
Built mostly for churches, American Seating began manufacturing folding, portable seating to give customers affordable, storable choices for multiuse spaces. The wood folding chair was furnished as a “single” or connected in rows. The low-cost chair came with a slat seat or perforated veneer.
Acton®, 2009 Chair Padded Folding Chair - Circa 1933 Envoy Chair, small child - circa 1946 WWII Folding Wood Chair - circa 1941
American Seating provides performing arts seating solutions worthy of a standing ovation. Products have ranged from ornate in the Gilded Age to sleek sophistication in modern times. In opera houses and concert halls, in movie theaters and community theaters, American Seating has been bringing the house down in comfort and style for more than a century.
McPherson Opera House McPherson, Kansas 2010
Top: Circa 1920 This custom standard was designed for the
fabulous Fox Theaters, one of which still
operates today in Atlanta.
end and was designed as specified for the
Saenger Family Theater Chain, located in
the Southeastern U.S. and headquartered
in New Orleans.
Center: Circa 1927
for ends, this version was created for the
Norwood Theater in Massachusetts. Many
independent houses throughout America
also selected this design.
filled with live performance, song and
dance. This end was one of the original
“frilly” wrought iron ends from the era.
Center: Circa 1910
above, this end was one of the first
to be designed with a more bold
appearance, still emphasizing wrought
Bottom: Circa 1933 This end was salvaged from the famous
Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York.
RKO was a joint venture between Keith
Orpheum and the RCA radio company,
later owned by Howard Hughes. The
Apollo first opened in 1913 as a burlesque
theater, but later served as both a live
performance as well as a movie palace.
City Opera House Traverse City, Michigan 2006
Opening its doors in 1891, this northern Michigan opera house is the oldest of three historically intact Victorian-era opera houses in the state. The elegant 700-seat, state-of-the art historic venue has hosted everything from plays, concerts and operettas to gala balls, social functions, community festivals and celebrations. The “Grand Old Lady,” as she is lovingly known, has served as a community gathering space for more than a century.
Eisenhower Theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Washington, D.C. 2008
The Eisenhower Theater, on the north side of the Kennedy Center, seats about 1,163 and is named for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who signed into law the National Cultural Center Act in 1958. This beautiful venue hosts plays, musicals, smaller-scale operas, ballet and contemporary dance performances. Opened in 1971, the theater was renovated in 2008.
Built in 1888 and the first of its kind with electricity, the McPherson Opera House had no equal between Kansas City and Denver. On opening night, all 900 seats were sold, and the opera house quickly established itself as the region’s cultural center. It was saved from destruction in 1986 by the McPherson Opera House Company. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, it is considered one of the best examples of opera house architecture in Kansas. The fully restored facility reopened in 2010.
Landmark Theater Richmond, Virginia 1927
Located west of downtown Richmond, the Landmark is nestled in the Virginia Commonwealth University campus where it hosts Broadway productions, concerts, comedians, lectures and school commencements. This beautiful 3,600- seat theater opened in 1927. Refurbished in the mid-1990s, it is still in use today.
Landmark Theater Richmond, Virginia 1927
Modeled after the Ambassador Auditorium, and located on the Herbert W. Armstrong College campus, the brand-new 823-seat Armstrong Auditorium opened in 2010 to much fanfare. Some of the hall’s treasures are from the original Ambassador Auditorium, including a Steinway concert grand piano and two Baccarat crystal candelabra. Other amenities include Swarovski- trimmed chandeliers from Austria, Persian onyx, marble from Spain and the finest-quality custom seats made by American Seating.
Armstrong Auditorium Edmond, Oklahoma 2010
Despite the stock market crash of 1929, John D. Rockefeller made a $91 million investment in Midtown Manhattan that would leave a lasting impact on New York City’s architectural and cultural landscape. He built Rockefeller Center, a complex of buildings that express the highest ideals of design and stand as symbols of optimism and hope. Radio City Music Hall was one of the center’s first and most important buildings. Since opening in 1932, more than 300 million visitors from around the world have sat in its nearly 6,000 seats. In 1999, Radio City underwent its most extensive restoration project since its opening, returning to the ambiance of the 1930s while integrating today’s technology.
Radio City Music Hall New York, New York 1999
The Lobero is California’s oldest, continuously operating theater. Originally founded in 1873 and rebuilt in 1924, it is recognized as one of Santa Barbara’s architectural jewels and is a state landmark. On August 4, 1924, today’s Lobero opened its doors with a gala production of Beggar on Horseback. Santa Barbara celebrated the opening with the inaugural Fiesta, the predecessor of today’s Fiesta and Old Spanish Days.
Lobero Theater Santa Barbara, California 2002
In 1925, Paramount-Publix, one of the great studio-theater chains that dominated the industry, began a construction program resulting in some of the finest theaters produced in that era. It was one of only three theaters built by the Publix chain on the West Coast. It was not only the last Publix house but was also the last very large moving-picture theater built on the West Coast and is now the largest of the type still in existence.
Paramount Theater Oakland, California 1973
The Capitol Theatre movie palace was on Broadway just north of Times Square. Designed by Thomas W. Lamb, the Capitol seated 4,000 and opened October 24, 1919. It was one of the first of the large lavish movie theaters that dominated the film business for the next 40 years. The theater was acquired in 1924 by the entertainment magnate Marcus Loew and became the flagship of his deluxe Loew’s Theatres chain.
Capitol Theatre New York, New York 1919
Tabor Hall Opera Chair,1889 Wood on Cast Iron early desk (7M)
Eisenhower Theater Chair, Kennedy Center 2008 Stellar® Chair with TABodiform Chair - circa 1953
Kiel Opera House Chair - 1934 replica
American Seating has a long history of putting students and educators at ease with seating solutions that support the body and stimulate the mind. Founded in 1886 as the Grand Rapids School Furniture Company, we’ve made seats, desks and other educational products for one-room schoolhouses and university learning environments – and everything in between.
Universal School Furniture
1957
This photo is taken from an American Seating ad that described the product’s physical beauty as well as postural advantages and structural features. The tag line read, “If your school furniture were on display every day like this … you’d buy American Seating furniture every time!”
American Envoy 1941
The American Envoy was a popular, lightweight but strong desk of the 1940s. The Envoy’s deep-curved back rails improved posture and comfort in the classrooms of that time. It was available in three heights, 17 inches, 15 inches and 13 inches, to accommodate various student sizes.
Focus™ Acton Swing-Away Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas 2008
Originally built in 1978, the Michael E. DeBakey Center for Biomedical Education and Research is named after a world-renowned heart surgeon and one of the school’s past presidents. Two of the college’s busiest auditoriums for medical education were renovated in 2008 and 2009 with American Seating’s fixed lecture room product.
Oxford Combination Desk No. 120 1920’s
The American Tubular Steel Combination Desk made school furniture history. It was the first of its kind made from heavy-gauge rolled-strip steel that was formed into triangular tubing for strength. The hinges were noiseless and boltless for a non-wearing construction. These desks were second to none in economy, durability, rigidity and design.
Model 101 Combination Desk
1911
This early combination seat desk was manufactured of high-quality cast metal and came with a built-in inkwell. Sales of cast-iron desks fell off in the early 1930s as lightweight, tubular-steel models came into vogue.
Oxford Combination Desk No. 120 1920s
The student-desk combination is still in classrooms today. It has taken on many transformations in design, materials used and style. The Vanguard was part of the evolution from wood and cast iron to plastic and steel in the 1960s. This desk combo uses a tablet arm versus the chair-desk combination.
Vanguard Tablet Arm Seating 1960s
American Seating developed a solution for college and university lecture rooms. Combining a table that is fixed to the floor with a chair that is fixed to the table and swivels allowed a crisp design. The swing-away seating was developed to give instructors and facility managers an easier way to keep their tables and chairs neat and straight.
Model 470 1970s
The American Universal was developed in accordance with accepted principles of the coordinated classroom, which were guidelines for the ideal visual and postural environments being planned by leading school authorities. These guidelines emphasized the growth, development and body mechanics of the school child.
American Universal 1940s
The Acton 275 was designed for classrooms, lecture halls, auditoriums, assembly areas and other educational and corporate training applications. The classic design has an ergonomically sculptured seat and back to provide comfort even after long hours of sitting.
Acton® 275 with Tablet Arm 1975
The Acton chair family was designed in 1974 and is one of the best selling chairs of all time. A tablet arm version was created to use in classrooms as a lightweight, easily movable seating solution.
Acton® Tablet Arm Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan 2002
American Seating launched the Spirit auditorium chair in 2003, which was designed to be virtually maintenance-free, durable and cost effective. It fit a need for a new aesthetic with a curved plastic back instead of the typical square back.
Spirit®
Cornerstone University Grand Rapids, Michigan 2003
As classrooms started to change from all fixed seating to the need for more flexible seating solutions, American Seating launched a contemporary table line that features power distribution and data routing, and is available in a stationary or mobile solution. Mobile tables can slide together to form any learning environment, then flip and nest out of the way when more space is needed.
Parley® Tables 2008
Desk/Chair Combination, early 1900s Envoy Chair with Desk, circa 1946 Desk/Chair Combination, 1960s Focus® Swing Away, Single
Theater Education Transportation Sports Timeline 1930 PR Stunt Video back to the beginningTheater Education Transportation Sports Timeline back to the beginningPortable SeatingPortable Seating
American Seating leads with solutions that offer durability and value for city-service bus, rail, motorcoach and demand-response transit providers. We’re the company that helps millions of commuters and travelers get to their destinations every day with ease and comfort.
Theater Education Transportation Sports Timeline 1930 PR Stunt Video back to the beginningPortable SeatingPortable Seating Theater Education Transportation Sports Timeline back to the beginning
Vision®
2009 In 2009, American Seating introduced its newest innovation, Vision, the next generation in stainless seating that provides vandal resistance, durability, comfort and style. North American transit agencies that quickly adopted the Vision seat include those in Rhode Island, California and Ottawa (Canada).
American Seating Transportation Manufacturing Grand Rapids, Michigan 1937
American Seating entered the transportation seating industry in 1931. Pictured: local transit buses parked on the grounds of the American Seating factory.
Insight®
The Rapid Grand Rapids, Michigan 2007
As the region’s public transit authority, The Rapid provides a variety of public transportation services for the Grand Rapids metro area and beyond. It is organized and operates under Michigan Public Act 196 of 1986. The Rapid operates both fixed-route and demand-response services. American Seating introduced the InSight seat to The Rapid in 2007, which became one of the first transit authorities in the United States to purchase and install the bus seat.
The M4 and M7 Medium Tank Seats for Driver, Assistant Driver and Gunner were used in more types of vehicles than any other seat of the time. The flexible seat was readily adaptable to many different locations inside a vehicle.
D39777 Seat 1940s Turret Gunner
The Metro Rail is the rapid-transit rail system serving Los Angeles County. Since opening in 1990, the network now comprises five lines, including two heavy-rail subway lines and three light-rail lines. Altogether, these lines total 79.1 miles (127.3 km) of rail, 70 stations and more than 350,000 weekday boardings.
The Metro Rail showcases American Seating’s Innovator 850, a stainless-steel seat that features a vandal-resistant solution for rail seating.
Innovator® 850 Los Angeles County Metro Rail Los Angeles, California 2007
Indian Trails, which uses the Premier seat, operates one of the largest and newest fleets of deluxe motorcoaches in Michigan. American Seating introduced the Premier seat in 2009, providing the highest level of safety in belted motorcoach seating.
Premier®
The company developed the first fiberglass transportation seat with quick-release, replaceable seat cushion inserts.
6463 1973
American Seating manufactured all-tubular, steel-framed seats for transit buses. This type of seating offered both enhanced comfort and durability. It was the first seat of its kind to be fully upholstered but without exposed fasteners on the seat backs.
Much history has taken place in American Seating seats. Most notable: On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery Alabama, the seat Rosa Parks refused to give up was the American Seating City Service Bus Seat 1221, introduced in 1931. Ms. Parks’ action became an important symbol of the modern civil rights movement.
Tubular City Service Bus Seat 1221 Grand Rapids, Michigan 1931
American Seating leads in the development of mobility aid securement systems. The company’s latest innovation features the industry-leading A.R.M.® and Dual Auto-Lok® remote release systems, allowing both hands to be free to secure the mobility aid. The technology provides the easiest and quickest securement while reducing physical demands on the bus driver.
Mobility Aid Securement The Rapid Grand Rapids, Michigan 2009
Vision® Innovator 850® Premier Recliner – Premier® InSight®
Theater Education Transportation Sports Timeline 1930 PR Stunt Video back to the beginningPortable Seating Theater Education Transportation Sports Timeline back to the beginningPortable Seating
American Seating solutions are found in the oldest and most famous ballparks and stadiums in the world, and in the newest generation of multipurpose arenas. We make seats for every part of a sports facility, from the front row to the upper deck, from scout seating to suite seats.
Arenas Berry Events Center Fresno Selland Arena HP Pavillion Keifer Lakefront Arena Neal H. Blaisdell Center Quicken Loans Arena Van Andel Arena Verizon Center
NFL Teams Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Houston Texans Minnesota Vikings New Orleans Saints New York Giants New York Jets Oakland Raiders Pittsburgh Steelers San Francisco 49ers
Major Leagues Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians DC Nationals Detroit Tigers Florida Marlins Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers Milwaukee Brewers Oakland A’s Philadelphia Phillies St. Louis Cardinals San Francisco Giants Texas Rangers
Minor Leagues Altoona Curve Arizona Diamondbacks/Rockies Arizona Dodger/Whitesox Auburn Doubledays Augusta Green-Jackets Batavia Muckdogs Beloit Snappers Boise Hawks Birmingham Barons Carolina Mudcats Charlotte Knights City Island Stadium Clinton Lumber Kings Colorado Springs Sky Sox Daytona Cubs Durham Bulls Erie Sea Wolves Florence Freedom Frisco Rough Riders Great Falls White Sox Gulf Coast Orioles Hannibal Caveman Indianapolis Indians Iowa Cubs Jamestown Jammers Joliet Jackhammers Kane County Cougars Lake County Captains Lakeland Flying Tigers Lansing Lugnuts Louisville Bats Missoula Osprey Montgomery Biscuits Nashville Sounds Norfolk Tides Ogden Raptors Oklahoma Red Hawks Rochester Red Wings Rockford RiverHawks Salem Avalanche
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes Salt Lake Bees Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Spokane Indians Syracuse Chiefs Tacoma Rainiers Tennessee Smokies Traverse City Beach Bums Vancouver Canadians Visalia Rawhides West Michigan Whitecaps Winston-Salem Dash Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Yakima Bears York Revolution
Performing Art Centers American Players Theater, Spring Green, WI Armstrong College PAC Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA Boston Pops Tanglewood Center Blossom Music Center, Cleveland, OH Century II, Wichita, KS Corson Auditorium, Interlochen, MI Delacorte Theatre, Central Park, NY Emons Auditorium, Ball State Fairchild Auditorium, Michigan St. University Forest Roberts Theater, N. Michigan University Gammage, Arizona State University Greek Theatre, CA Indiana University Musical Art Center Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. Kresge Auditorium, Interlochen, MI McPherson Opera House, McPherson, KS Millenium Park, Chicago, IL New York Metropolitan Opera House Peabody (Kiel) Opera House Popejoy Hall, University of New Mexico Radio City Music Hall, NY Raymond Kravis Center, West Palm Beach, FL
River Bend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH Robin Hood Dell East, Philadelphia, PA San Francisco Opera House Sante Fe Opera House, Sante Fe, NM Tilson Auditorium, Indiana State University of Connecticut, Jorgensen Center West Point Military Academy Eisenhower Theatre
College and University Sports Baylor University Tennis Complex Bud Walton Arena, University of Arkansas Creighton Soccer Stadium FSU Baseball Howser Georgia Tech Bobby Dodd Stadium Georgia Russ Chandler Stadium Indiana University Memorial Stadium Lamar Cardinal Stadium Louisville Papa Johns Stadium LSU Tiger Stadium Miami Stadium Michigan Football Stadium NAU Lumberjack Stadium Nebraska Memorial Stadium Ohio State Football Stadium Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium Rice University Reckling Park Stadium Tennessee Lee Stadium Tennessee Lindsey Nelson Stadium Tennessee Tennis Stadium, Knoxville Tusculum College Baseball Stadium Tulane Baseball Park UH Baseball Stadium UNC Dean Smith Center UNM-The Pit UCLA Pauley Pavilion USC Dedeaux Field and LA Coliseum Utah Valley Stadium UT Disch-Falk Field Wake Forest Ballpark WVU Coliseum WVU Mountaineer Stadium TD Ameritrade Park (NCAA World Series)
Arenas, Auditoriums, Stadiums & Ballparks
Meadowlands Sports Complex East Rutherford, New Jersey 2010 (Home of the New York Giants and New York Jets)
The Meadowlands was designed to be the home of both the New York Jets and New York Giants professional football teams and also serve as a location for all marquee events in the region – internationally broadcast concerts, college football programs, world-class soccer and more. The sustainably designed stadium seats 82,500.
Theater Education Transportation Sports Timeline 1930 PR Stunt Video back to the beginningPortable Seating Theater Education Transportation Sports Timeline back to the beginning
Van Andel Arena® Grand Rapids, Michigan 1996 (Home of the Grand Rapids Griffins)
The 12,000-plus capacity, $75 million arena in Michigan’s fastest-growing market has made Grand Rapids an entertainment destination. Additionally, the arena has carved a niche as a first-class facility for tradeshows, exhibitions, seminars and conferences. It also serves as the home of the Grand Rapids Griffins hockey team. The arena was named in recognition of its largest benefactors, Jay and Betty Van Andel.
Comerica Park Detroit, Michigan 2000 (Home of the Detroit Tigers)
Comerica Park replaced the historic Tiger Stadium in 2000. Located in downtown Detroit and next to Ford Field, the home of the Detroit Lions, Comerica Park is a major part of a downtown revitalization plan for the city. Comerica’s seating capacity is 45,010.
Nationals Park was the first major stadium in the U.S. accredited as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) structure, achieving “Silver Status” from the United States Green Building Council. The ballpark exterior is constructed of steel, glass and pre-cast concrete, reflecting the architecture of Washington. Views from the circulation ramps include the Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Navy Yard and the riverfront. The venue seats 41,546.
Nationals Park Washington, D.C., 2008
(Home of the Washington Nationals)
On April 20, 1912, Fenway Park, one of the most iconic ballparks in the world, opened its doors to the public. To many, Fenway is a shrine and homage to the Great American Pastime of baseball. American Seating has been a part of the Fenway fan experience since the ballpark first opened. In 2002, the Red Sox organization began a renovation of the entire park, scheduled for completion in spring 2012.
Fenway Park Boston, Massachusetts 2009 (Home of the Boston Red Sox)
On April 1, 1994, a new era dawned for the Texas Rangers with the opening of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. This beautiful baseball-only facility serves as the centerpiece of a 270-acre entertainment complex. The open-air park seats 49,170 and features Texas-style architecture.
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Arlington, Texas 1994 (Home of the Texas Rang- ers)
On April 1, 1994, a new era dawned for the Texas Rangers with the opening of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. This beautiful baseball-only facility serves as the centerpiece of a 270-acre entertainment complex. The open-air park seats 49,170 and features Texas-style architecture.
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Arlington, Texas 1994 (Home of the Texas Rang- ers)
Originally known as Gund Arena, “The Q” officially opened in October 1994 with a Billy Joel concert. Home to the Cavaliers professional basketball team, “The Q” also hosts top-name concerts, family and sporting events, accommodating 20,500 patrons. Progressive Field (formerly Jacobs Field and home to the Cleveland Indians professional baseball team) is next door; together, these two facilities comprise the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex. American Seating chairs replaced a competitor’s seats in 2005.
Quicken Loans Arena – “The Q” Cleveland, Ohio 2005 (Home of the Cleveland Cavaliers)
Michigan Stadium “The Big House” Ann Arbor, Michigan 2010 (Home of the University of Michigan Wolverines)
One of the country’s most recognized college sports venues, Michigan Stadium has always been known for accommodating enormous crowds. First opened in 1927 with a capacity of more than 84,000, “The Big House” underwent a three-year renovation to provide wider seats and aisles and to add premium club and suite seating. Remodeling was completed in 2010 with a total fan capacity of 108,000.
Pizza Hut Park is a multi-purpose facility designed for professional soccer, major concerts, community events and high school football. The park can host approximately 20,500 and is considered to be one of the top venues in the United States for both amateur and Major League Soccer.
Pizza Hut Park Frisco, Texas 2005 (Home of MLS Team FC Dallas)
Tiger’s Chair - Tigers
Watch this 1930 PR stunt In 1930, pilot Muller landed this Heath plane on the roof of the American Seating headquarters in Grand Rapids to promote their “just in time” delivery services. Landing and take off were both perilous and successful.
American Seating has a long history of putting students and educators at ease with seating solutions that support the body and stimulate the mind. Founded in 1886 as the Grand Rapids School Furniture Company, we’ve made seats, desks and other educational products for one-room schoolhouses and university learning environments – and everything in between.
Beginning in 1887, much of the seating for churches involves intricate wood carving; the company becomes known for its master carvers and beautiful craftsmanship.
Our Early Years 1886-1940
1886 On January 5, Perkins, Hess and Peregrine, with 50 employees, open a factory at the corner of Prescott and Ionia streets in Grand Rapids to manufacture school and office furniture.
The first product is a cast-iron and maple- wood student desk-and-chair unit. This unprecedented combination revolutionizes classroom seating.
1899 Grand Rapids School Furniture Company changes its name to American School Furniture Company. The company acquires 18 of the largest seating and furniture manufacturing companies in the United States. These companies expand American School Furniture Company’s holdings from the Midwest to the East Coast, with offices located in New York and Chicago.
1905 Earnings through 1905 total $1.2 million. The company purchases additional properties in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest.
1906 The company changes its name to American Seating Company, and offices move from New York back to Grand Rapids.
1888 Grand Rapids School Furniture Company buys seven acres on Broadway Avenue between Ninth and Tenth streets on Grand Rapids’ northwest side. The company constructs a 70,000-square-foot factory and moves in on August 1. Increasing its workforce to 350 employees, the company becomes the biggest manufacturer of its kind in the city.
1909 American Seating Company manufactures and installs seating at Forbes Field for the Pittsburgh Pirates – the company’s first foray into baseball seating.
1910 Comiskey Park, home of the Chicago White Sox, opens with 32,000 American Seating Company seats. The ballpark adds more seats in 1927.
1889 The company officially enters the entertainment seating market by furnishing the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, and the McPherson Opera House in McPherson, Kansas.
1885 In this year, the Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor, the first skyscraper (10 stories) is built in Chicago and during a Grand Rapids, Michigan, school board meeting, a light-bulb moment redefines educational environments for the century to follow.
At this meeting, business and school board leaders Gaius W. Perkins, William T. Hess and Seymour W. Peregrine sit in the very seats that students use during the school day. Shifting constantly to get comfortable, they determine the seats that school children sit in are poorly designed – and they resolve to do better. This is the beginning of American Seating.
1887 On May 8, the founders incorporate Grand Rapids School Furniture Company. Building on its immediate success in schools, the company expands into seating for churches and other public venues.
Much of the seating for churches involves intricate wood carving; the company becomes known for its master carvers and beautiful craftsmanship.
Early 1900s With the increased popularity of vaudeville and then motion pictures, theater seating becomes American Seating Company’s primary product. The company is deluged with orders, and many orders are for 299 chairs per venue. The reason: Theaters with more than 299 chairs required a theater license and special fire permits.
1892 Grand Rapids School Furniture Company ranks as the top seating manufacturer in the world, producing more seats than any other manufacturer (81,000 to date).
1893 The company designs and delivers the world’s first tilt-back opera chair.
1911 The company opens a steel plant and begins production of the 101 Desk. Made of steel tubing, the desk is a first of its kind. So many are made that, pundits say, they could be lined up and stretch from Grand Rapids to Los Angeles and then 180 miles beyond into the Pacific Ocean.
1912 American Seating Company manufactures and installs new seating for Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, the beginning of a long relationship with the famous ballpark.
1914 American Seating Company manufactures and installs seating for the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field. Some of the original seats will last into the next millennium, a testament to the durability and quality of the company’s product.
1922 American Seating Company provides the seats for The Ohio State University’s football stadium.
1927 Hollywood spreads across America and everyone’s going to the movies. The nation’s theaters, grand “movie palaces,” require elaborate seating to complement ornate décor. Entertainment moguls of the day Marcus Loew, William Fox and others engage American Seating Company for seats. Theater seating installations boom with major contracts with the Loew’s Theatre and Fox Theatre chains.
American Seating Company moves all manufacturing operations to Grand Rapids.
1923 American Seating Company makes the seats in the original Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees.
1926 American Seating Company renovates and modernizes its Grand Rapids facilities on Broadway Avenue.
1930s The company designs the Bodiform® end standard to add affordable design décor to theater seats at a time when money can’t be spent on splendor. The innovation is such a success that the end standard remains a popular part of American Seating’s portfolio.
The company develops the first ¾-fold indoor-outdoor seat so spectators can move easily through aisles and into seats.
1931 All offices are consolidated in Grand Rapids.
The Transportation Division manufactures the first all-tubular-steel-framed seats used in buses.
1936 The company begins manufacturing tank seats for military operations.
1937 From years 1927 to 1937, the company reports earnings of $2.5 million, and exits the Great Depression in a strong financial position.
1932 American Seating Company manufactures and installs new seating for the upper deck of Fenway Park.
1920s Dr. Henry Eastman Bennett’s research results in the design of the company’s Universal and Envoy lines for the education market.
Building On A Diverse History 1941-1980
1947 - President Harry S. Truman enjoys a baseball game in Kansas City in an American Seating seat.
1944 Production at American Seating Company has increased since the war’s inception, and employment stands at 1,000. Ninety percent of the company’s manufactured goods support the U.S. Military.
During this time, the company produces 10,000 folding chairs per day, ultimately making 5 million chairs for the military. A running joke at the time: “We’re in charge of seating the standing army.”
1941 With the United States’ entry into World War II, American Seating Company converts much of its production to seating and other products for the military.
1960 The company announces it will enter the health care market. Recognizing radical changes in patient safety, care, comfort and rehabilitation, American Seating Company designs an entirely new hospital bed system and complementary furniture.
To accommodate the new market, a vast manufacturing facility covering 41 acres is constructed near the site of today’s American Seating Park. An onsite foundry, pictured above, enables American Seating to cast its own iron.
The company begins producing motorcoach seating.
1955 On December 1 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks makes history by refusing to relinquish her bus seat which was made by American Seating Company.
The company updates the seating in the Detroit Tigers Stadium.
1950s The company begins manufacturing modular-classroom and lab furniture.
1945 Between 1937 and 1945, American Seating Company’s net worth increases to $6.7 million.
The company installs new seats for Yankee Stadium in New York.
1947 American Seating Company begins manufacturing seats for urban transit buses – today called city-service buses.
President Harry S. Truman enjoys a baseball game in Kansas City in an American Seating seat.
1958 American Seating Company becomes the first to develop outdoor, blow-molded plastic seats after Dutch elm disease destroys most of the nation’s elm trees. The first installation with this new technology is the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Other war products include:
• Tank seats
• Pack boards
• Mess tables
• Wooden training models of the 40MM anti-aircraft gun
• Ammunition boxes
• Inboard wings for the CG-4A
• Parts for the AT-21 Bomber Trainer and M5 Bomb Trailer
• Backpacks for troops
From the collections of The Henry Ford.
1970 The company begins manufacturing seating for rail cars.
American Seating launches the Stellar® chair for the Education and Entertainment markets.
American Seating Company coauthors the White Book, a widely used publication that provides procurement guidelines and technical specifications for the transportation industry.
The company makes and installs the seats for Mickey Mouse Music Hall at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
1973 The company develops the first fiberglass transportation seat with quick-release, replaceable onserts.
1971 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opens in Washington, D.C., filled with American Seating chairs.
1974 The company replaces the seats at Yankee Stadium in New York.
American Seating Company designs and installs one of the first automated part-transfer systems in the nation; the new seat-pan stamping presses expand capacity to 1,500 finished parts per 8-hour shift.
Transportation seating sales hit an all-time high.
American Seating Company provides the seats for the Wings Hockey Arena in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The company releases the Acton® chair. The iconic seat becomes one of the best-selling stacking chairs of all time.1969
The company develops the transportation industry’s first cantilevered bus seat, an innovation that increases the comfort and cleanliness of bus seating.
By the end of the decade, American Seating Company has established itself as the leading manufacturer of transit seating
– a position the company holds to this day.
1977 American Seating Company enters the office furniture market. The company begins producing a flexible and functional interior furniture system designed to respond to human ergonomic needs and workplace functionality.
American Seating becomes the first to make office wall panels with removable inserts.
The company becomes the leading developer of restraint systems for the transportation industry, before the implementation of any formalized Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. 1980 The Minnesota Vikings complete a new stadium outfitted entirely with American Seating seats.
1975 The company develops the industry’s first stainless-steel seat for use in buses.
1962 American Seating chairs are installed in the New York State Theater (now called the David H. Koch Theater) at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
Providing Innovative Solutions 1981 - Present
2011 - The introduction of the Core™ seat utilizes state of the art equipment and incorporates 60% post consumer waste in its design.
1987 Ed Clark and a group of private investors purchase American Seating Company from Fuqua, Inc.
1988 American Seating Company develops vandal- and cut-resistant seat cushion inserts, enabling upholstered seating in public transportation. Buses in New York City and Chicago boast the first such seating.
The Dimension® chair launches in the Education and Sports Markets.
1995 The company builds a new transportation plant on Seward Avenue, expanding the American Seating campus footprint on Grand Rapids’ northwest side. The 175,000-square-foot plant opens the following year.
The company unveils Framework Access® panels for use in office systems.
1983 American Seating Company is purchased by Fuqua, Inc. based in Atlanta.
1984 The company introduces energy- absorbing plastic grab-rails atop bus seats for added passenger safety.
1981 American Seating Company releases the Bio® chair, a customizable, caster-base office chair.
1985 The Fox Theatre in Atlanta selects nearly 3,000 American Seating Company seats for a major renovation.
The company purchases Otaco, a transit seating manufacturer based in Canada.
1998 American Seating Company provides the seats for the Detroit Tigers’ new stadium, Comerica Park.
American Seating also provides the seating for Pac Bell Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, and Minute Maid Park (then called Enron Field), home of the Houston Astros.
American Seating helps to complete M&T Bank Stadium for the Baltimore Ravens, including a hinged-arm stadium chair to accommodate disabled patrons.
The company releases the Oz chair and the 408 Stadium Chair.
1999 American Seating Company helps to renovate The Ohio State University Buckeyes’
“The Horseshoe” Stadium with installation of the 408 Stadium Chair.
American Seating Company installs new seats at the Cleveland Browns Stadium.
1996 The company introduces the Advanced Restraint Module (A.R.M.®) for mobility aid securement in the transportation market.
Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids installs American Seating products.
1997 American Seating Company produces the Framework free-standing desk.
The company introduces the 507 Baseball Chair.
The Santa Fe Opera House selects new American Seating chairs for its renovation.
1994 The company releases the Cue® chair for the office market.
1992 The company releases the 505 slat back, a blow-molded baseball chair for Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore; the seats evoke a nostalgic ballpark look.
The company develops a quick-release/ sliding seat to accommodate mobility aids in transit.
2001 American Seating Company unveils its Accuwerks and Whirl tables.
The company provides seats for Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers.
2002 Metropolitan® transit seating is introduced to the City Bus and Light Rail Markets.
The company releases the Acton® caster base and stool.
2003 American Seating Company reinvests in its roots and renovates its campus on Grand Rapids’ northwest side. Historic buildings are preserved while contemporary living and working environments are created. The area becomes known as American Seating Park.
The company releases the Spirit® seat.
2004 U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, replaces all seats with American Seating product after only 13 years with a competitor’s seats.
2005 American Seating Company provides new seats for Quicken Loans Arena, (formerly Gund Arena), home of the Cleveland Cavaliers. American Seating chairs replace a competitor’s seats, installed in 1994.
2008 American Seating Company debuts Vision®. Inspired by InSight®, the seat meets the needs of bus and rail transit agencies looking for product specifically engineered for aesthetics and superior vandal resistance.
The company’s Focus® Fixed Lecture product revolutionizes the college and university market.
2006 This year is big for baseball: The company produces seats for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago Cubs, the Iowa City Cubs and the Traverse City Beach Bums. All told, 140,000 seats are made, shipped and installed.
American Seating Company develops the InSight® bus seat, which offers the largest personal sitting area in the industry. The seat becomes the best-selling bus seat in the world.
The Majestic® chair is introduced to capture the grandeur of a bygone theater era.
2009 American Seating releases Premier®, a motorcoach seat that revolutionizes safety. Greyhound is the first to install the seats in its motorcoaches.
American Seating installs seats at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida.
American Seating takes part in a historic renovation of the beloved Fenway Park, replicating original wood seats with new technology.
Federal stimulus grants increase contracts for bus seating.
InSight® is selected for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games SkyTrain in Vancouver.
2010 The Rally Chair is released as a telescopic platform seating solution.
The University of Michigan selects American Seating for new club seating as part of major renovation of “The Big House” football stadium.
The new Meadowlands Sports Complex in New Jersey – home to both the New York Jets and Giants – receives American Seating seats.
2011 The company launches the Core™ chair, a cost- effective auditorium solution.
American Seating is the leading manufacturer of mass transit passenger seating with seats in every major city in America, from Los Angeles to New York, and Grand Rapids.
The famous Kiel (Peabody) Opera House renovation project includes custom American Seating chairs.
American Seating celebrates its 125th anniversary.
2000 The company introduces its Credence and Brilliance tables, Framework Segway panels and the Transportation Recliner Series.
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