sc johnson frank lloyd wright tour

S.C. Johnson Administrative Complex

When the Johnson Wax Administration Building was completed Life magazine called it the greatest innovation since the skyscraper: “a truer glimpse of the shape of things to come.” Like Wright’s Larkin Administration building of 1903, Wright desired to build an exhilarating work environment, even suggesting that it be moved out of the bleak industrial zone of Racine for which it was planned.

Herbert F. Johnson

Golden Rondelle Theater

National Historic Landmark. National Register of Historic Places. Open to the public with tours available.

scjohnson.com

When Herbert Johnson refused to turn his back on his company’s hometown, Wright designed the building without windows, explaining that as “nature was not present” in the environment, his design would “recreate nature” on the interior. The result, Wright promised, would be like working in a pine forest glade, with fresh air and sunlight all of the time. Wright achieved his vision with the help of two important innovations: steel mesh-reinforced concrete and glass tubing. The concrete allowed him to build slender white columns that rose tendril-like from their nine-inch bases to eighteen-foot-wide circular concrete “lily pads” that support the roof. The tubing allowed much of the roof and clerestory to filter perfectly diffuse light between the lily pads, creating a space that, without traditional windows, is the very essence of light. Due to the fact that the available technology could not properly seal the glass tubing, the roof leaked every time it rained. Herbert Johnson took to keeping a bucket on his desk to catch the drops.

The construction of the Johnson Wax Administration posed significant challenges and costs, originally budgeted at $200,000, kept rising. “First, Frank Lloyd Wright was working for me,” Johnson recounted: “Then we were working together. Finally, I was working for him.” Despite spending some $900,000 to see his headquarters finished, Johnson was so enamored of Wright’s genius that he would go on to employ Wright to design both his personal home and the new headquarters for the company’s research and design division. The resulting fourteen-story research tower is connected to the main building by a covered bridge. Reinforced concrete slabs, cantilevered from the building’s central core, form the alternating square floors and circular balconies. Though the Research Tower is no longer in use because of a change in fire safety codes, an extensive restoration completed in 2013 has enabled the tower to be open for public tours for the first time in its history.

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See more of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work

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News and updates from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

Frank Lloyd Wright + Arizona

Frank Lloyd Wright’s connection to Arizona, the location of his personal winter home Taliesin West, runs deep, with his architectural influence seen all over the Valley. Here, PhD student David R. Richardson gives a brief overview of several of Wright’s most notable projects in the Grand Canyon state.

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Day trip ideas: kid-approved, day trip ideas: families – west of i-94, day trip ideas: architect enthusiasts, day trip ideas: outdoors, day trip ideas: adventurer’s guide, day trip ideas: beer lover.

Racine is home to many architectural gems created by Wisconsin native Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959). Among his best-known works are buildings he designed from the 1930s to 1950s at the SC Johnson headquarters campus, 1525 Howe Street, Racine.

SC Johnson Buildings

The largest commercial project designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the SC Johnson Administration Building , was completed in 1939.

The Great Workroom of the building contains almost one-half acre of floor space. From its 43 miles of Pyrex glass tubing to the soaring dendriform columns that are nine inches in diameter at the base and 18.5 feet at the top in the Great Workroom, it is truly a unique work of art that reflects the innovation and adventure that are still the spirit of SC Johnson today.

The ceiling is supported by large golf-tee shaped columns that have been termed one of the most advanced structural supports in modern architecture. These columns soar 31 feet from floor to ceiling. The primary color used throughout the building is Cherokee Red. The furniture was also designed by Wright to add efficiency and beauty.

The adjacent 15-story Research Tower opened in 1950 and became the birthplace for several of SC Johnson’s most trusted brands, including Raid, Glade, OFF!, and Pledge.

The Tower is an example of cantilever construction with an inner core extending 50 feet into the ground that provide support for the 16 million pound structure. Last used in 1982, the tower was dormant for decades before undergoing an extensive interior and exterior restoration. It reopened for public tours in May 2014.

The SC Johnson Administration Building and Research Tower are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fortaleza Hall is a tribute to Sam Johnson, the late chairman emeritus of SC Johnson, a Family Company. The 60,000 square-foot facility is the social center of the SC Johnson headquarters campus offering a look at the company’s history. It was designed by Foster + Partners of London and opened in 2010. It includes the SC Johnson Gallery: Frank Lloyd Wright at Home.

In 2021, SC Johnson opened Waxbird Commons , a new state-of-the-art facility on the west side of its global headquarters campus. This innovative and dynamic space includes many inspiring features informed by their history and guided by their purpose.

The nearby Golden Rondelle Theater was constructed for the SC Johnson Wax pavilion at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair. It was brought back to Racine and placed on a new base, which was designed by the Taliesin Associate Architects to complement the existing buildings of the SC Johnson corporate headquarters.

The Golden Rondelle hosts many community and educational events and offers a rotating schedule of films. Tours of the SC Johnson Administration Building and Research Tower and the adjacent Fortaleza Hall are available for groups of 20 or more. To schedule a tour,  visit their website.

Other Local Wright Designs

Other Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings in the Racine area are the Hardy House (private residence; not open for tours), 1319 S. Main Street, and The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread conference center, 33 E. 4 Mile Road, Wind Point.

Herbert F. Johnson, Jr., commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to build Wingspread, his 14,000 sq. ft. Prairie style home, which was completed in 1939.

One of the largest Wright-designed private homes, it featured many characteristics of Wright’s organic architecture such as horizontal lines and low ceilings. Wingspread has four wings, each created for specific purposes.

The home was occupied for 20 years by Mr. Johnson and his wife, Irene Purcell, and their two children, Karen and Sam. In 1959, they donated the home so it could be converted into the conference center, which it is now known as The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread.

When entering Wingspread, you will begin to understand Mr. Wright’s emphasis on manipulation. The compressed entry ceiling pushes you into the grandeur of the Great Hall with its central wigwam. Narrow hallways are an additional way to encourage you to move through quickly and realize the gathering spaces.  The multiple fireplaces draw you to the large gathering spaces, which were to be used for family and social time.

The wings of Wingspread were designed to separate the public and private spaces. Numerous windows allow the outdoors to be brought indoors, a goal of Mr. Wright’s architecture.

The free Wingspread tour highlights remarkable features such as the home’s disappearing dining table, its teepee-inspired clerestory ceiling in the great room, and the cantilevered “Romeo and Juliet” balcony bedroom. To schedule a tour, visit their website.

Taking the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail

After visiting the Racine County site, you’re welcome to continue on the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail , a self-guided architectural tour through nine southern Wisconsin counties. Established by state law in 2017, the 200-mile trail has specially designed signage to guide visitors to nine significant architectural treasures that are regularly open to the public.

In addition to the Wright-designed buildings in Racine County, the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail can take you to these other sites:

Burnham Block American-System Built Homes, Milwaukee

Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, Madison

First Unitarian Society Meeting House, Madison

Taliesin and Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center, Spring Green

Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, Spring Green

A.D. German Warehouse, Richland Center

Visit the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail or Wisconsin Department of Tourism websites for more information.

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The global headquarters of the SC Johnson company in Racine, Wisconsin includes the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Administration Building and Research Tower. The complex has been an attraction for tourists, architects, and Wright aficionados from around the world.

The SC Johnson Administration Building, which opening in 1939, is celebrated as one of the 25 most important buildings of the 20th century. From the 43 miles of glass Pyrex tubing that forms its windows, to the soaring columns in its Great Workroom, the Administration Building is a truly unique place to work. It’s also the only corporate headquarters that Frank Lloyd Wright designed that remains operational.

The SC Johnson Research Tower, which opened in 1950, is one of the tallest structures ever built on the cantilever principle. The tower rises more than 150 feet into the air and is 40 feet square, yet at ground level, it’s supported by a base only 13 feet across at its narrowest point. The Research Tower was the primary home of SC Johnson’s Research and Development efforts from 1950 to 1982, giving birth to trusted brands including Raid®, Glade®, OFF!® and Pledge®. 

More information about tours is available at SCJohnson.com

·         Tours begin at the Golden Rondelle Theater,  1525 Howe St., Racine, Wisconsin.

·         SC Johnson welcomes visitors, and offers free public tours by appointment.

·         For groups of 20 or more, please call (262) 260-2154.

·         More information about the tours is available at SCJohnson.com

·         Email:  [email protected]

You’re in the Wright Place!

Racine , Tours , Wisconsin , Wisconsin Trail

Sc johnson administration building.

Of the many Frank Lloyd Wright structures that grace the National Register of Historic places, two very special buildings that signify a relationship between the architect and a corporate leader occupy prominent places on that list. That relationship began in 1935 and continues to this day.

The Best in the World

In 1936, construction was about to start on the SC Johnson Administration building; designs were apparently already deep into development for the new building. However, H. F. Johnson Jr. wanted more than “just another office building.” He wanted one that would be the best in the world – and he wanted one designed and built by “the best architect in the world.” That architect of course would be none other than Frank Lloyd Wright.

And the two buildings? One is obviously the incredible Administration Building (opened in 1939); the other is the cylindrical Research Tower that opened in 1950. Tours of those two structures – as well as a tour of the H. F. Johnson Jr. home ( Wingspread – also completed in 1939) – can be easily booked online. And that is what we did. The nice thing for residents of the Midwest/Chicago area is that the location of these buildings in Racine is only about one hundred miles from the Chicago suburbs.

Unique Interior Work Space

For those who have not had the opportunity to make the trek and tour those buildings, they are definitely a must-see experience. As for the Administration building, perhaps the most memorable features are the “dendriform” – as Wright called them – (tree-shaped) columns that stretch from floor to ceiling throughout the building. They are made of mesh-reinforced concrete.

Having been described as everything from lily pads to mushrooms to umbrellas and white tornados, the columns, only nine inches in diameter at the base, rise some twenty-one feet to a top diameter of more than eighteen feet at the ceiling. Expected to hold a minimum of twelve tons of roof weight, Wright had one tested and it proved to hold in excess of sixty tons… without failing. At that point Wright had that test column pulled down; it actually broke a water main ten feet underground.

There are some of the original red rubber floor tiles still exposed, but the majority of them are covered with a newer rug (pretty close to the Cherokee Red seen throughout many of the structures) that was added later. Also worthy of note is the pair of “bird cage” circular and open elevators – one at each end of the office – that go from the basement to the penthouse in the building; they are still functional today.

There are over 200 different shapes and sizes of brick laid around the perimeter of the mezzanine level, raked horizontally with vertical tinting to accentuate the horizontal feel and closer-to-the-earth feel used extensively by Wright. Kasota limestone is above it as well and in the front steps of the Administration Building, as well as being incorporated into several other buildings on the campus.

Impressive indeed is the 43-mile distance equivalent of Pyrex glass tubing that Wright designed to effectively and efficiently illuminate the office but keep glare to a minimum. A masterpiece of architecture and truly a work of art, the innovative design featuring open work space had one “small” problem that plagued many if not most of Wright’s designs: the ceiling leaked, due to the material of that period that would not properly seal the joints between tubes.

Prominent in the office space is the wright-designed furniture, especially the three-tiered desks — the tiers represent the office level, the mezzanine level and the Penthouse level of the building — with the pivot-out desk drawers.

Star of the Show

The “star of the show” (according to our tour guide) were the conspicuous three-legged chairs that Wright referred as the “posture chairs”. They kept employees in good posture but also allowed for easy tipping, causing the occupant to fall over onto the floor. H. F. Johnson Jr. was unhappy with this and finally got Wright to redesign a four-legged chair (take the tour for the full and amusing story).

After designing the Administration Building on the SC Johnson campus, Frank Lloyd Wright continued his practice as an architect in the state of Wisconsin – without a license – for another 20 years. The Steelcase Company has recently “rereleased” its office furniture designs that were originally for the S.C. Johnson Co. Now they are available for purchase through the Steelcase store .

Book your tours of the SC Johnson Administration Building, Research Tour and Wingspread here.

Related Articles, Resources and Links

SC Johnson – corporate website Wingspread – located in Wind Point, just north of Racine and available for tours and use as a conference center Thomas Hardy House – located just 1/2 mile from the SC Johnson campus Steelcase Store – Steelcase has recently released their Frank Lloyd Wright Collection, now available to the public.

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Yvonne Carpenter-Ross

Flw enthusiast & webmaster.

Architecture and home design have always fascinated me. As a young girl I enjoyed drawing floor plans, rearranging my parent’s furniture and playing with Lincoln Logs and Legos.  My passion has always been the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Since I have been old enough to drive a car, I have visited Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the Chicagoland area and attended the Wright Plus house walks. Now, as co-owners of Northern Sky Designs , my husband & I are able to combine our website design skills and FLW travels to bring you this website! Enjoy!

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Frank lloyd wright trail.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Trail was established in 2017 to connect nine Wright-designed historical sites in southern Wisconsin. The trail takes visitors on a self-guided architectural tour through nine counties. Traveling from east to west, the Trail originates on Interstate 94 near the Wisconsin-Illinois border in Racine County, proceeds north to Milwaukee, then west across the state to Madison, onward to Spring Green, and ends in Richland Center—in the place where it all began in the city of Wright’s birth. The Trail consists of the following sites: SC Johnson Administrative Building and Research Tower, The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, Burnham Block, Monona Terrace, First Unitarian Society Meeting House, Taliesin and Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center, Wyoming Valley School, and A.D. German Warehouse. People interested in the trail can visit www.FrankLloydWrightTrail.org which maps out and connects all nine sites in one place and where visitors can track and receive a Frank Lloyd Wright Trail Badge to share on social media upon completion. Guests can also follow the Trail on Facebook and Instagram plus download an interactive app. For more information about visiting SC Johnson’s campus or to schedule a tour, please use the online scheduling tool at www.scjohnson.com/visit , call (262) 260-2154, or email [email protected]

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