Once upon a time there was a carnauba tree. And it produced wax. Really good wax for parquet floors. And from this wax came an entire dynasty of products and a family legacy to be truly proud of. Of course I am referring to the S.C. Johnson Company of products and the S.C. Johnson Family. What a great place to visit. The original building is, of course, a Frank Lloyd Wright building. From the history of the building it becomes clear that Wright was a much better visionary than architect. According to the guide, windows have been replaced, cracks have been filled, leaks have be stopped, etc. And I don't know that it would have been the most conducive place for work. The furniture, while beautiful to look at, was not aways practical. The original chairs had a bad habit of tipping over! But it is a unique environment and I do applaud the SC Johnson Group for having the courage to allow it to have happened in the first place and to have maintained it and kept the repairs in line with Wright's original vision.There is another new and extremely beautiful and sustainable building at the Headquarters in Racine. It is the Fortaleza Hall. It is a really stunning glass building, spherical in shape and housing among other things, an airplane!. It works so very well with the historical Wright architecture on the property. “This building is intended to inspire us, to be a special place to remind us of our sense of adventure,” said Chairman and CEO, Fisk Johnson, the fifth generation leader of the company. “It is a symbol of our unique history of innovation, creativity and progressive attitude. My family wanted this to be a jewel for our community. Imagine a little boy or a little girl looking out a car window seeing that sight of the brightly colored S-38 amphibious plane soaring and in their minds being transported somewhere else by the adventure and romance of it all.”
This architecture apes the philosophy of a truly innovative family who manufacture and sell the household products that make our life easier every day. The spirit of the company seems to be that of a forward thinking group who are concerned about their employees, their customers and on a greater scale, the world that we all inhabit. No. I do not work for them. I do admire their spirit and conscience.My friends and I had a nice time on our visit. Of course it would have been a little more pleasant if we had gone on a day in June instead of a day in February when the wind was whipping off of Lake Michigan, blowing in 10 degree weather. But why let a little weather stop us from exploring and having a fun adventure? Never happen. More adventures to follow.....
