Removing Theater Seats from the Sanctuary

THE THEATER SEATS in the sanctuary are held in place in three separate ways: 2 screws into the floor at the bottom of each leg, plus 2 bolts into the neighboring seat, as well as 2 seat posts. 

This post describes the attachments and how to remove them. (After a set of 2 or 3 seats is removed, it can be loaded onto a hand truck.)

Attachment to the Floor

Each leg is fastened to the floor with two long wood screws. After 74 years in place, nearly all of them are very tight.

Here I have loosened the screws in front.
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

To loosen a screw, spray under the base of the leg with WD-40. Wait 10 minutes or more. Clean out the screw slot with a pick. Insert a #2 Phillips screwdriver; then bang on the end of the screwdriver with a hammer.

To remove the screw, clamp its head from the side with genuine Vice-Grip locking pliers. (Other brands may be too soft.) Turn in the counter-clockwise direction. Once the screw is about half an inch out, it may become loose enough that a screwdriver may be used to remove it fully.

Avoid stirring up any dust or debris from the hole, due to the very small chance of there being friable asbestos in the floor tile (or its adhesive) that gets released through these holes. For the sake of caution, use a wet wipe and/or HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaner to corral any dust or debris.

Eventually, the holes in the floor should be plugged with a thin layer of caulk, in a matching shade of brown. (The caulk should be removable, in case the seats need to be replaced.)

Attachment to the Next Seat

Use a ratchet driver and socket set to remove and replace the bolts that hold the seats together.

Bolt  =  3/8”

Nut  =  7/16”

Be careful to retain the lock washer that goes with the nut.

Bolts
(As usual, click/tap on a photo to enlarge it.)

Nuts

The Seat Itself

The fold-up seat itself normally rotates around an axle that extends on each side; that axle curves down to form a post that fits into a tubular housing affixed to each side piece, which bears the weight of the seat. Combined with its counterpart on the other side of the seat, this assembly holds the two vertical side pieces together. 

To loosen a seat, spray into each post’s housing with WD-40. Wait 10 minutes or more. Using a mallet or hammer, bang upward on the horizontal axle, until the post portion comes loose from its housing.

A removed seat will sag downward while it is being held in place on only one side. Treat the loose seat with care and give it some support, so that the axle isn’t bent or broken while being moved around.

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For historical background on our theater seats and their cultural significance, see HERE.