Warren McArthur Corporation Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
American
Few 20th-century designers had influential furniture that regularly flew at 30,000 feet, but Warren McArthur did. His work — and the work of his company, the Warren McArthur Corporation — on seating for military aircraft came near the end of his career, following decades of Machine Age furniture shaped from tubular forms and made of steel, chrome and aluminum.
Warren McArthur Jr. graduated with an engineering degree from Cornell University in 1908. After moving to Los Angeles in 1929, he founded the Warren McArthur Corporation a year later. His initial output of sleek, metal designs were popular in offices and hotels.
At the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, Americans witnessed a new “Streamlined America” campaign, which included everyday furniture made from metal, opening the door for McArthur and other Machine Age designers to a residential audience. With this increase in demand for metal furniture, the Warren McArthur Corporation relocated to Rome, New York, and sold their aluminum furnishings out of a showroom on Park Avenue in New York City.
Actors Marlene Dietrich, Fredric March and Clark Gable were among his A-list clientele. McArthur also produced furniture for the dining cars on the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chrysler Headquarters. His designs were featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 1934 exhibition “Contemporary American Industrial Art.”
During World War II, McArthur pivoted production after a ban on the private use of aluminum. McArthur made an estimated three-quarters of all American military aircraft seating, including adjustable seats for the Beechcraft C-45 and revolving seats for navigators aboard the Grumman HU-16 Albatross.
Warren McArthur closed his business in 1948. He died in 1961.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Warren McArthur armchairs, tables and other seating.
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Creator: Warren McArthur Corporation
Warren McArthur Z Chair Model 708, circa 1938
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
Located in Camden, ME
Warren McArthur anodixzed aluminum light armchair Model 708 manufactured by the Warren McArthur Corporation circa 1938.
Category
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Corporation Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Round Desk Chair Style No. 1083 AU Rome New York 1935/36
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
Located in Camden, ME
Rare Warren McArthur desk chair manufactured in Rome New York in the mid 1930s.
The circular framed chairs of which to my knowledge there were only five designs produced, Models 1040...
Category
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Corporation Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Aluminium Armchair Style No 1170 AU, circa 1939
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
Located in Camden, ME
A Warren McArthur aluminium armchair style no 1170 AU in excellent vintage condition.
This chair is a classic example of Warren's mastery of tube bending.
The elongated S of the b...
Category
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Corporation Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Materials
Aluminum
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Warren McArthur Jr. was an innovator in Machine Age/ Art Deco furniture design.
McArthur moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1929 to pursue metal furniture manufacturing; . he founded the Warren McArthur Corporation there in 1930. His furniture designs while unique were true to the Machine Age aesthetic. Machine Age design emphasized sleek forms inspired by automobiles, locomotives and airplanes. These objects were symbols of progress and modernity to the American consumer and industrial designers began constructing furniture in streamlined designs from steel, chrome and aluminum.
Prior to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, known as the “Century of Progress Exhibition.” The fair’s tagline, “See America Streamlined,” and the abundance of metal furniture and home goods exhibited finally presented the concept of utilizing metal designs in the typical American household. The Museum of Modern Art followed suit in subsequent years with exhibitions like "Machine Art," (1934), and "Bauhaus 1919-1928" (1938), further exposing the American public to this design style.
The Warren McArthur Corporation moved manufacturing to Rome, New York in 1933, just as metal furniture was gaining popularity; the company’s products were sold out of a showroom in New York City on Park Avenue. As a manufacturer, McArthur filed numerous patent designs which he utilized in advertisements to exhibit the innovations he developed. The company also proudly printed patent numbers on furniture...
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Materials
Aluminum
Previously Available Items
Warren McArthur Stainless Steel Armchairs Style No. 1130 Au 1935/36 Unique Pair
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
Located in Camden, ME
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Warren Mcarthur Corporation office chairs and desk chairs for sale on 1stDibs.
Warren McArthur Corporation office chairs and desk chairs are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Warren McArthur Corporation office chairs and desk chairs, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original office chairs and desk chairs by Warren McArthur Corporation were created in the Art Deco style in united states during the 1930s. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider office chairs and desk chairs by and Warren McArthur. Prices for Warren McArthur Corporation office chairs and desk chairs can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $3,000 and can go as high as $12,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $6,650.
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