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The Memorial Union introduced the famous "sunburst" Terrace chairs in the 1960s. Green, yellow and orange were chosen as colors because they represented the Terrace's most popular seasons - summer and fall. The colorful chairs quickly became a symbol of the Terrace, but they almost met their end in the late 1970s. The manufacturer that produced Terrace chairs for the Memorial Union went out of business. Fortunately, the Memorial Union Building Association purchased the tool and die equipment to keep the beloved chairs in production. The sunburst chairs can be found at some other locations in Madison — for example, Edgewood College has them in a variety of colors in their café. However, the signature green, yellow and orange chairs that Badgers know and love are produced exclusively for the Union.

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