Penrose, Colorado: World's Oldest Giant Rocking Chair

The rough real estate market appears to have dampened the prospects for the former World's Largest Rocking Chair. Since 1990 the Chair has been a reason to visit Penrose, Colorado -- even during the past two years, when the formerly sit-able rocker has been off-limits in a weedy patch behind a wire fence.

It looks like the Historic Apple Shed is opening again in some capacity. After googling, it sounds like it's a medical pot growing facility. There are people outside doing work on the grounds. The chair itself is still in pretty good shape; repainted yearly maybe.

Though Doxey's Apple Shed is long closed -- its owners retired -- the giant rocking chair outside Penrose is still a visible landmark along Highway 115. In 1990, when it was built, it claimed the title of "World's Largest Rocking Chair." Challengers soon rose up, Penrose's became an also-ran, but fortunately no one thought to turn it into firewood.

We angled to snap a few photos through the hurricane fence surrounding the Apple Shed business property. A hand-painted sign informs that it is 21 feet tall, 14 feet wide, 9,100 pounds, made from hand-hewn Douglas fir logs.

The World's Largest Rocking Chair is still there in Penrose, on the grounds of the Apple Shed restaurant, but as of 4/15/06, the owners have retired, closed the place down, and are looking for someone to buy it. You can still take pictures through the fence, though.

The World's Largest Rocking Chair is still on display in front of Doxey's Apple Shed Mercantile, located on Hwy 115, just north of Penrose. But Doxey's Apple Shed is closed for business, and has a barbed wire locked fence around it. There is also a "For Sale" sign out front. I'm not sure what is going to happen to the World's Largest Rocking Chair.