Eustis Chair History

THE EVOLUTION OF EUSTIS CHAIR

Fred and William Eustis

Robert Eustis

Eustis Chair is the product of two different companies. Both started in about 1990, one on the east coast and one on the west coast:

Eustis Enterprises, Inc. was founded in 1989 in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, by entrepreneur William Eustis. His son Fred soon joined him in 1993. Father and son worked together for the next 5 years building top-quality dining chairs for Stickley Furniture, America’s pre-eminent manufacturer of Arts & Crafts style furniture. After Bill’s retirement in 1997, the company continued to manufacture chairs for Stickley, and Fred started to turn his attention to the design and manufacture of a new line of chairs that would carry the Eustis Chair name.

Eustis Designs, Inc. was founded in 1990 in Palo Alto, California, by Stanford’s Engineering Professor Robert Eustis. Bob developed and patented a remarkable joinery system using concealed steel rods and aerospace-grade epoxies. This technique allowed Eustis Designs to build hundreds of elegant chairs for universities and libraries without a single joint failure. Fred then learned about Eustis Designs in 1999, and acquired the patent rights to the technology we now call the Eustis Joint®.

TODAY

Eustis Chair is the trade name we now use for the business that emerged in the new millennium. The new company created a line of elegant hardwood chairs engineered to withstand decades of abuse in any high-use spaces. Hundreds of prestigious clubs, libraries, schools, and other establishments turned to Eustis Chair for their renovations and projects. Since 2000 Eustis Chair has added dozens of new designs and for distinguished institutions nationwide. In addition, more and more architects, designers, and institutional buyers now recognize the Eustis Chair name; they know that, above all, it stands for distinctive hardwood chairs that truly meet the test of time.

After thirty years of building superior seating, we’re proud to offer several options that can be customized for any client. Thanks to our American craftsmen, we can funnel our years of industry expertise into what we do best. Our family roots are the basis for our attentiveness and care; therefore, we guarantee sustainability and strength with every chair we sell. We also like to see our past customers in our travels around the country, and view the amazing rooms and halls our chairs help enhance. Like our founders, our reach extends coast to coast; we even have Eustis Chairs at overseas institutions! We’re looking forward to further architecture and design excellence in the years to come.

And yes, Fred, Bill, and Bob Eustis are related. They are 7th cousins and direct descendants of William Eustis, who was born in 1661 from what is now Chelsea, Massachusetts.