Know-It-All: The Pittsburgh Parking Chair

PHOTO VIA PITTSBURGH MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

As Yinzers gear up for winter, many will add dusting off their parking chairs to their list of pre-snow chores. The act is one that outta tahn-ers regard with some combination of whimsy and irritation. Plopping something smaller than a La-Z-Boy, yet big enough to get the point across, in front of one’s home to lay claim to a parking spot is as Pittsburgh as pierogies and cookie tables. But how did it get started?

No one knows exactly when the parking chair tradition began, but its roots are often traced to the mid-20th century — at least the 1950s. It was the solution to post-war urban overcrowding, surging car ownership and heavy winter snowstorms; when combined with the Steel City’s steep and narrow throughways, plus a lack of driveways and garages, it created quite the conundrum. If you put in the elbow grease to shovel out a spot, how do you make sure no one steals the fruits of your labor? Easy. Put a chair there and call it done.

Respect it or not, there’s no doubt the parking chair remains one of Pittsburgh’s most recognizable neighborhood traditions.

By the Numbers: 

200

In the 1990s, the Dormont Roundup saw Dormont Police Sgt. Gary Scheimer confiscating about 200 parking chairs in order to put an end to neighborly disputes. The chairs spent some time impounded at the Dormont pool.

$300

Technically, Pittsburgh code says it is illegal to place any object on a public street to reserve a space. Violators could face fines up to $300, but enforcement is rare; authorities tend to turn a blind eye.

8’

In 2019, VisitPittsburgh erected an 8-foot-tall parking chair during the Three Rivers Arts Festival as part of its “Pull Up a Chair. You’re Welcome Here” tourism campaign. The sculpture reimagined the parking chair as a symbol of hospitality.