Local News

"This theft has left us really sad."

Looking for a spot to sit at Conway Park in Somerville?

Sure, there are picnic tables, swings, space on the grass, and other options. But what happened to the brightly colored Adirondack chairs?

The city added the movable chairs to the park at 550 Somerville Ave. more than four years ago, officials said. Over the past year, they have all vanished.

As explained in an Instagram plea for information Wednesday, the city’s public space and urban forestry division opted not to bolt the chairs down so that people could “move them into the shade, relax after a hard day, watch your child play little league, or talk with a friend.”

Using aerial photographs, Somerville officials confirmed that the chairs first started disappearing in April 2025. By September, not a single chair remained.

The 16 chairs, considered “VERY heavy” at 38 pounds apiece, said “City of Somerville” on them, according to Luisa Oliveira, director of Somerville’s public space and urban forestry division.

“This theft has left us really sad,” Somerville officials noted on Instagram.

Just last month, Flour Bakery issued a similar plea, in an effort to find its Boston Common location’s soft serve cone mascot known as “Swirly,” which has been missing since October. Though “Swirly” has yet to turn up, a tip led the bakery to find “an eerily similar soft serve cone” replacement.

Somerville officials ask that anyone with information about the missing Conway chairs email [email protected] or contact Somerville police with tips.

“And tell your friends on Reddit. They are super sleuths,” the city’s public space and urban forestry division noted.