Johnson Wax Headquarters, Corporate headquarters in Racine, United States.
The Johnson Wax Headquarters is an office building with curved red brick facades and a central work hall in Racine, Wisconsin. The structure combines organic shapes with industrial materials and features a large open interior beneath a translucent roof.
Frank Lloyd Wright designed the main building between 1936 and 1939 in response to the economic uncertainty of those years. The architect added a research tower in 1950 to expand the complex.
The interior layout reflects principles of workplace equality through an open floor plan that houses 200 employees in a single shared space.
The building sits south of downtown Racine near Lake Michigan and is easiest to reach by car. Guided tours allow visitors to access selected interior spaces, with availability varying by season.
The slender concrete columns in the main hall taper downward and widen at the top, resembling mushrooms or water lilies. Wright tested one column with 60 tons (54 metric tons) of weight, though the requirement was only 12 tons (11 metric tons).
Location: Racine
Architects: Frank Lloyd Wright
Official opening: 1939
Address: 1525 Howe Street
GPS coordinates: 42.71361,-87.79083
Latest update: December 4, 2025 23:40
Frank Lloyd Wright developed one of the most influential architectural styles of the 20th century over seven decades of practice. His buildings connect interior spaces with surrounding landscapes through horizontal lines, natural materials, and open floor plans. From the Prairie Houses of the Midwest to the post-war Usonian homes, Wright created designs that transformed American residential architecture. His major works include Fallingwater, built over a waterfall in Pennsylvania, the Guggenheim Museum in New York with its spiral ramp, and the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, which survived the great 1923 earthquake. The Robie House in Chicago demonstrates his Prairie School principles, while Taliesin West in Arizona served as his winter home and architecture school. His structures are located across the United States, Japan, and Europe, demonstrating his vision of organic architecture that works in harmony with nature.
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