Park patrons sink into the Minneapolis Good Chair project

Minneapolis' renowned public parks, full of sparkling waters and acres of green space, offer a perfect place for an afternoon escape. But a trip to the park felt more like labor than leisure for Mark Addicks.

"I used the parks like I go to work. I was on a schedule. I never stopped. There always a goal: Run around the lake," said the retired General Mills chief marketing officer. "I conquered it."

Realizing that a trip to the park could be more than the sum on his pedometer, Addicks has figured out one way to encourage people to slow down. He launched the Minneapolis Good Chair Project, a nonprofit built around the idea that you can make life better and build community by simply adding some comfortable seating.

With the Minneapolis Park Board's approval, Addicks has placed 33 Good Chairs at Lake of the Isles and Currie Park this summer that beckon folks to stop, sit, read, meet a friend, or perhaps even strike up a conversation with a stranger. Unlike city park benches that are bolted to the ground, Good Chairs can be repositioned for conversation, light, shade or a better view of the lake.

The chairs, positioned in clusters of three and four, started appearing this summer. They have been so well used, the plan is to place more than 100 chairs next year in as many as eight Minneapolis parks. Addicks, who lives near Lake of the Isles, has largely funded this first phase of the project. He's launching a $100,000 Kickstarter campaign to help pay for the expansion.

The chairs, custom designed by Minneapolis furniture maker Willie Willette Works, are actually small benches with room for two. They are made of white oak with some inspiration engraved into the wood: Sit. Share. Debate. Engage. Contemplate. Meditate. Laugh. Cry. Kiss.

"You can lounge. You can move them closer together or pull them into the shade," Addicks said. "The hope is these could be all over our parks and they would distinguish us as the great city we are."

Commissioner Anita Tabb said she immediately embraced Addicks' vision. She's pleased his nonprofit could step in and launch such a simple yet stylish project.

"They're beautifully made and beautifully designed. They are unique and special," Tabb said. "Government tends to be very utilitarian. We are worried about tax dollars and getting the most bang for our buck. We have to worry if things are particularly resilient. We don't get to pick the most beautiful items."

The ability to move chairs into the shade, closer to a ballgame or activity, means they get used more often than immobile park benches, Tabb said.

The most often-asked question surrounding the project has been: What if they're vandalized or stolen?

So far, that hasn't happened. Addicks has hired someone part time to check the chairs daily and reposition them if they seem to be sidling too close to the street.

"They have taken such ownership of the chairs and have taken such good care of them," Addicks said.

Addicks said he was inspired to start the nonprofit after spending time on the St. Olaf College campus in Northfield, where movable chairs placed on the quad transformed that green space from a pleasant pass-through into a hub of campus social life.

"We definitely take cues from our environment," Addicks said.

He recalls watching those St. Olaf chairs over the course of a day. One woman sat and ate. A couple kissed. Another woman stopped and had a good cry.

"They were sitting, stopping, reading, laughing, making out. The chairs were the impetus for that. That caught my attention," he said.

"You can meet someone new. Talk to someone new who doesn't look like you."