If you’ve ever been to the University of Wisconsin Memorial Union on the shores of Lake Mendota in Madison, you’ve probably seen those iconic chairs on the terrace. There they are: yellow, orange and green!
They’re known as Sunburst Chairs and, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society, that design has been used since the 1930s when metal chairs replaced the quickly-aging original wooden chairs. Photos of these chairs show up everywhere.
It was rather hot yesterday, and with fewer students around for summer school, most of the visitors to the terrace were sitting in the shade. So, unlike most of the year, it was easy to find some unoccupied chairs and tables to clearly show their colors and design. Because of the bright sun, those chairs were also casting some great shadows, which I always like to photograph.
Although some of these chairs continue to disappear over the years, the University has decided not to chain them down. If you really want one of these chairs, you don’t have to resort to thievery; you can buy them! As far as I know, however, they are only available in red or white. Since the chair is just part of the great ambience of the Union Terrace, I’d recommend you sit on them there and save your money for brats and beer. On Wisconsin!