Chair teetering on edge of abandoned N.J. house a source of inspiration in trying times
'It's still hanging on' after 3 years and several storms, says man behind popular Chair Watch Facebook group
To some, it is an inspiration for comedy, art and other creative pursuits. For others, it is a powerful symbol of resilience in a cold and uncaring universe.
It is a chair.
And for three years, it has sat on the roof of abandoned house in Dennis Township, N.J., never falling from its precarious perch, no matter what the world throws at it.
"Teetering on the edge through storms, through hurricanes, tornadoes, straight wind, blizzards in the wintertime — and it's still there, and it's still hanging on," avid chair watcher Tony DiMeglio told As It Happens host Nil Köksal.
DiMeglio is the creator of Chair Watch, a Facebook group dedicated to the beloved object.
'If the chair can keep going, so can I'
DiMeglio first noticed the chair during his weekend drives from Pennsylvania, where he lives, to his summer home Cape May, N.J.
"Driving back and forth, you notice one day, 'Hey, look at that chair. It's on the edge of the house. I wonder how long it's going to last.'"
He created the Facebook group "on a whim" in July, and watched it grow to more than 9,000 members. Some members snap pictures of the chair, keeping members informed of its status. Others turn those pictures into memes and art, adding Halloween flair to the scene, or Photoshopping politicians into its seat.
People, he says, have derived all kinds of meaning from the chair.
"People have tried to take away, 'You've got to hang on,' you know, 'If the chair can keep going, so can I,'" he said. "If people want to take motivation from it or whatever they need to do, you know, I'm happy that it's there to help them get through their day."
He says it's also a welcome distraction from a difficult news cycle.
"I feel like everybody is really drawn to it right now because it's something so simple and satisfying," he said.
"It's not political, you know, with everything going on in the world today with politics and now war. It's fun, and people can focus on something silly for a short period of time in their day."
Despite the apparent apolitical nature of the chair, when CBC reached out to Dennis Township Mayor Zeth Matalucci for comment, he seized the opportunity to take a jab at U.S. President Joe Biden and the media at large.
"I'm just pleased so see that it takes people's minds off the rampant inflation, the lawlessness that's overtaking our country, and the senile old man that resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., that the media are so good at underreporting," Matalucci said in an email. "Keep up the great work!"
Local news site NJ.com spoke to the house's owner, a fisherman who asked only to be identified as Mike. He said the house been left largely untouched since a fire broke out on the third floor in 1972.
Then, a 2020 storm ripped the roof clean off, leaving its remaining contents — including a chair and an errant suitcase — exposed.
Mike says he's never lived in the house, but uses the surrounding property as a work site.
"During holiday weekends, this road is just jammed with people," he said. "They're just in line, like bumper to bumper, all the way down going really slow. So, the wife's probably in the car saying, 'Look there, look at that chair.'"
'Let it be silly, right to the very end'
But the chair may not be long for this world.
Mike plans to eventually tear down the dilapidated house and build a business. Already, he says he's had the land surveyed, and hopes to get started on demolition soon.
If that happens — or if the house finally crumbles — it will mark "the end of the story," says DiMeglio.
"Once it's over, it's over," DiMeglio said. "What we're hoping is that we can get our hands on the chair when it does eventually come down and give it a rightful sendoff."
Some Chair Watch members have proposed some kind of charity event, he said. Others say it should be buried.
"I personally feel like the chair should get a Viking funeral," DiMeglio said — meaning placed upon on a pyre, sent off to sea, and lit aflame.
"It seems fitting, doesn't it? I mean, this whole thing is silly, so let's let it be silly, right to the very end."
Interview with Tony DiMeglio produced by Lisa Bryn Rundle
