Overview

The Johnson Wax Headquarters is the corporate administration complex of S. C. Johnson & Son in Racine, Wisconsin. Commissioned by company president Herbert F. "Hib" Johnson, the main administration building was designed by noted American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and constructed between 1936 and 1939. The campus is best known for the sculptural office structure commonly called the Administration Building and its companion, the taller Research Tower, completed later in the 1940s.

Design and characteristics

The complex displays Wright's mature modernist vocabulary: long horizontal lines, open interior spaces, and innovative use of materials. Characteristic elements include:

  • Open-plan office floors illuminated by rows of slender skylights and shallow windows.
  • Distinctive "lily pad" columns—tapering concrete supports with mushroom‑like capitals that create an unobstructed workspace beneath.
  • Attention to craftsmanship and integrated furnishings conceived as part of the architectural whole.

History and construction

Work on the administration building began in the mid‑1930s and concluded by 1939, during a period when Wright was experimenting with organic forms and industrial materials. The 14‑story Johnson Wax Research Tower, designed to house laboratories and offices, was built subsequently (roughly 1944–1950) and reflects a complementary vertical counterpoint to the horizontal administration building. The project was driven by a close client‑architect partnership between Wright and Hib Johnson, who sought a headquarters that would embody corporate identity and modern efficiency.

Significance and legacy

Because of its architectural innovation and influence on commercial building design, the Administration Building together with the Research Tower was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 as the Administration Building and Research Tower, S.C. Johnson and Son. The complex is frequently cited in discussions of 20th‑century modern architecture and preservation, notable for both its aesthetic ambitions and its experimental structural solutions.

Visiting and notable facts

The campus remains the company's world headquarters and attracts interest from students, architects, and visitors. Tours, when offered, highlight the building's unusual columns, Wright's integrated detailing, and the Research Tower's corkscrew elevator and laboratory stacks. For additional historical documentation and the official landmark listing see the National Historic Landmark citation and archival resources referenced by local institutions such as Racine heritage organizations and architectural research sites like materials about Frank Lloyd Wright.

Further reading