I set out one fine afternoon a few weeks ago to wander around the financial district and look for a Judas Chair to upholster. There were a few windowsills with ridges and bumps designed to be inhospitable to weary travelers, but none so fine and medieval-looking as this one:



Of course I'd forgotten to bring something useful like a measuring tape, so I improvised with my camera and a hand, and then spent a couple of weeks scheming in my lair over how to make this spot comfortable to sit on.

My first idea was to build a seat that sat on 2x4s to raise it just over the height of the spikes. Then while I was fruitlessly sifting through my scrap lumber collection looking for 2x4s, I had a better idea: make the spikes a part of the seat. The final design was a plywood platform with a wide groove on the underside where the spikes would sit.

Discount Fabrics provided the upholstery in the form of a sheet of foam and a piece of remnant vinyl. Even though my seat isn't likely to last long, I wanted to build it to be somewhat weather-resistant.

The final step was just a matter of going back at night, installing the seat, and testing it out. Look how comfortable I am!



I expect as soon as a security guard sees it it's headed for a dumpster, but I'm planning to drive by tomorrow and will report on whether it's still there.

update 3/19/2012: Gone. Didn't see it sticking out of any trash cans; I'd like to think that someone out there "stole" it and it's making their night a little more comfortable.