Introducing…Fortaleza Hall

The doors of SC Johnson’s Fortaleza Hall have officially opened.  The new building, which stands brightly next to the famous Frank Lloyd Wright designs on the campus, celebrates the company’s rich history.  Made mostly of glass, a full-size twin engine S-38 plane can be seen suspended from the ceiling.  

Fortaleza Hall is a tribute to late Chairman Emeritus Sam Johnson.  The building broke ground in September 2007 with the promise to bring a new look and feel to the Racine campus.  The new 60,000 square-foot facility is the social center of the campus, offering a look at the company’s history and a myriad of company amenities.  

At the center of the new building, you’ll find the heart – Carnaúba.  The aircraft is an exact replica of the Sikorsky aircraft used by H.F. Johnson Jr. in his historic adventure to Northeastern Brazil in 1935.  In 1998 Sam Johnson and his sons, Fisk and Curt, recreated aviation and family history when they piloted the Carnaúba roundtrip 15,000 miles from Racine, Wis. to Fortaleza, Brazil.  

Fortaleza Hall honors this family history and celebrates the spirit of adventure. Click here to learn more about Fortaleza Hall.

Fortaleza Hall is open to the public and invites visitors to tour the building. Click here for more information.    

A Center of Creativity

Going to work every day in a work of art is great inspiration.

H.F. hired Frank Lloyd Wright to design SC Johnson’s administration building...and the rest is history. Following the completion of the building in 1939, a research tower was added in 1950. Both were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The SC Johnson Administration Building remains one of the most beautiful office buildings ever created. It has been called a work of art and a “corporate cathedral.” And it’s a huge source of pride for the people of SC Johnson.

You can find out more about the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings and our corporate headquarters campus with this fact sheet.

Great Spaces Make Great Places

But the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings aren't the only ones. In fact, the company has continued to invest in inspired architecture. For example, the company’s facility at Mijdrecht, the Netherlands, features a boomerang that projects over a reflecting pond. It was designed by H.A. Maaskant and Herman Senf.

Bringing Inspired Architecture Home

Another example is the company’s Golden Rondelle theater on its headquarters campus. The theater was designed by Lippincott and Margulies for the SC Johnson Pavilion of the 1964 World’s Fair. It houses the company’s award-winning film To Be Alive!, which attracted more than five million viewers during the fair.

Once the fair ended, the theater was brought to Racine, where Taliesin Associated Architects – the group founded by Frank Lloyd Wright – redesigned the structure to complement the Wright-designed Administration Building and Research Tower.