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    Forteleza Hall - the airplane is suspended in the atrium, behind the closed curtains.
    Jerry M.

    No doubt about it! Tours have been a part of the SC Johnson World Headquarters for some time but until today, I've never had a chance to take the tour. It was worth the wait. The tour begins at the Golden Rondelle Theater, the building resembles a flying saucer and was the star of the New York Worlds' Fair in 1964. (It was moved to Racine after the fair closed.) From there, the tour goes to the Research and Development Tower, which was in operation from 1950 to 1982. The tower was never open to the public until 2014. The tour continues to the Administration building, built in 1938, and wraps up Fortaleza Hall. Both the Administration Building and Research Tower were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and demonstrate Wright's vision of combining nature with business. The Administration Building opened in 1938. The unique building is Wright through-and-through including every little detail. The major component of the building is the unique columns that Wright called "dendriform." The elegant columns have also been called golf tees, trees or mushrooms. They are 18'6" in diameter at the capital and taper to 9" at the footing. They appear to be quite delicate but don't be fooled. The columns support a 2 ton live load but are designed to support at least a 12 ton load. A dendriform column was tested prior to construction, it held a 60 ton load overnight without failure. The roof was comprised of Pyrex tubes when constructed. (Today, the glass has been replaced with acrylic tubing, which provides the same indirect lighting Wright envisioned but provide a better environmental performance. Wright always knew that someday, technology would catch up with his designs!) The Research and Development Tower was also designed by Wright, as a component of the campus. The tower is one of the tallest cantilever buildings ever constructed. The 15 floors of the building are supported by a central core that contains an elevator and a winding staircase for access, the core also contains a dumbwaiter and mechanical systems. None of the floors are supported by the outside shell. The building alternates square floors with round mezzanine floors. Wright thought better communication could be achieved by talking over the open area that was part of the circular mezzanine floors. The shell is comprised of alternating layers comprised of Wright's specified Johnson Cherokee Red bricks and Pyrex glass tubes that provided more than ample diffused light in the lab. (You can make out the round mezzanine floors through the tube windows.) The tower was opened in 1950 and was used until 1982. The narrow, winding stairway and elevator provided the only egress, far inadequate for modern fire codes. As a result, the building has never been open to public tours. That changed in 2014, two floors are open for the tour and are an R&D museum, the lab looks like the staff went home one night and never returned. The limited size of tour groups is how the fire code issue was solved. The tour finishes in the new Fortaleza Hall. On display in the atrium is an exact replica of H.L. Johnson, Jr.'s airplane, a Sikorsky S-38 "Flying Boat," dubbed Carnauba. The aircraft was how Mr. Johnson was able to secure a source in South America for carnauba wax, a necessary resource for SC Johnson's core product lines. Tour groups are limited in size. The tours are free, however, advance reservations are required and with Frank Lloyd Wright aficionados eager to experience the R& D tower, tickets are scarce - but the outstanding tour is worth the wait and the effort to get to Racine!

    Tour group makes their way from the Great Workroom to the Research Tower.

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    SC Johnson Headquarters - Administration Building and Research Tower

    SC Johnson Headquarters

    4.8(26 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    While, off the bat, one would most likely not be interested in touring a business facility for fun,…read moreI actually made the conscious decision. It's free -- you just need to book in advance online! If you're interested in Frank Lloyd Wright and the history of SC Johnson, or even if you're not, it's still an interesting tour. I couldn't book the 2 hour tour that added other Wright sites, but it was still a good tour nonetheless. Bathroom breaks are limited; be sure to use the ones in the Golden Rondelle building, which is where you check in and meet for the tour (arrive 15 minutes prior). Each person must have a physical photo ID on them, only water is permitted on the tour (no food or other beverages), and no photography is allowed inside the buildings. It was a large group tour with adults and kids. The kids were well behaved, but as a younger child, depending on their interests, it may not appeal to them. They do offer a Jr. Architect badge for children -- I overheard the guide offer one to a teenager. I later asked if I could have one. She humored me. Our tour guide Dawn was great -- an enthusiastic speaker who kept the group engaged. She also did a fantastic job taking pictures of me and my family in front of the FLW desk in the Rondelle Center. It's imperative to have your physical photo ID, not just a picture of it. Two people arrived with only photos of their IDs and were initially turned away. The manager later contacted the guide and they were allowed to join. They have free postcards you can write and they'll mail them for you in the check-in area, along with magnets and some stickers. Bathroom breaks are limited to the Rondelle Center and, at the end, Fortaleza Hall, where the Lily Pad gift shop is located. During the tour you must wear a lanyard tracker and stick with the group. A security guard follows the last person to ensure this. The tour isn't fully handicap accessible and they don't supply wheelchairs. The part most likely to be inaccessible is the research tower, which contains a narrow concrete spiral staircase and steep steps. My father-in-law rested on a bench outside; the security guard stayed with him and took him into a building that showed a video of the research tower interior, which was nice for him. We entered the research tower first, then headed into the administration building (there's a low-grade ramp to the entrance). You learn about the infrastructure and desks, which were quite interesting: you can see the lily pad columns and sit in one of Wright's ergonomic chairs at the desks. I think they mentioned there are only three original walnut Wright desk tops -- one in the Guggenheim, one at the Institute of Science in Chicago, and one in Racine. Wright was definitely brilliant and talented, but from the stories about his interactions with SC Johnson, he could also be extremely resistant to legitimate complaints-- narcissistic, stubborn, and dismissive -- from his three-legged office chairs to the Pyrex tubes he designed for the windows to shield what he called the "abhorrent" views of Racine. Haha. You can see his influence on the Art Deco movement and modernism, as well as his imprint on organic architecture. The last building was Fortaleza Hall, named after the city in Brazil that one of the Johnson family visited; that trip changed his perspective and opened his eyes to philanthropy. The plane on display is a replica of the plane Johnson flew to Brazil. Fortaleza Hall has an elevator and was also designed by renowned architect Norman Foster. Inside Fortaleza Hall it's not extensive; 15 minutes felt a bit too short in my opinion because my husband and I went to the Lily Pad gift shop first, as recommended by our guide. I did breeze through it and found some interesting tidbits. Overall, I highly recommend it -- but book in advance online!

    Holy security. We…read moretook a tour on a Sunday and showed up at the proper time. ***NOTE: If you are going on a tour - park in the small lot by the gold flying saucer looking building. It's to the left of the front gate. Walk into that building. I really liked the tour - we had to cut ours short to get to Wingspread in time. The security guards were accommodating and walked us back to the main entrance so we could leave. I would recommend this tour - not my favorite but still very cool, and another off the master list of places to visit.

    Photos
    SC Johnson Headquarters - Golden Rondelle Theater

    Golden Rondelle Theater

    SC Johnson Headquarters - Sculpture

    Sculpture

    SC Johnson Headquarters - Architecture in the garagen

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    Architecture in the garagen

    Racine Public Library - Who could ask for a better view while reading in your local library?

    Racine Public Library

    4.7(3 reviews)
    0.9 mi

    Beautiful setting overlooking Lake Michigan, huge library, friendly staff from counter assistant…read moreall the way up to Director. Seed catalog for gardeners. 3D printers... all kinds of useful stuff. All free. Can't beat it.

    1) The library has respectable hours. I live in an area where every time I want to go to the…read morelibrary it happens to be closed! Kudos to however this library is being funded. 2) The books are taken care of. They don't look like they've been sitting untouched for decades. They look clean and in good condition. 3) Checkout is a breeze. You can be checked out or you can enjoy self checkout by scanning your card at a separate kiosk type deal near the counter. 4) You don't have to visit the library to checkout books! The Racine Public Library has an online checkout process that allows us to checkout electronic copies of popular books and read them on our devices. 5) You don't have to visit the library to return books you checked out at the library. There are drop boxes around the city where you can return books although it seems like they move from time to time. I thought there used to be one by Kohl's Food. I also thought there used to be one near Starbuck by the post office. Recently though, I found it at Lockwood Park on Ohio. All more convenient than going downtown to return books. 6) This library partners with other area libraries so you aren't limited to what is in the Racine location. 7) Location, location, location! It's so nice to have that whole wall of sunshine while shopping for books. This library is a very welcoming environment where you want to sit and read or research for a while. If you sit near the lake, it's a beautiful view you simply cannot beat.

    Photos
    Racine Public Library - Side of the library that's facing Lake Michigan

    Side of the library that's facing Lake Michigan

    Racine Public Library

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    S C Johnson - landmarks - Updated August 2026

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