See Wright in a New Light: First-Ever Free Evening Tours Showcase SC Johnson's Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Headquarters at Night

Visitors Welcomed for Unique “Wright @ Night” Tours in Racine

RACINE, Wis., (October 20, 2015) – From graceful curves that soar up into the night, to the warm glow cast by 43 miles of Pyrex glass tube windows – you haven’t seen Wright until you’ve seen Wright at night.

This fall, SC Johnson is expanding its free tour program by opening its campus for the first time for evening tours, as part of a special “Wright @ Night” program offered most Thursdays through December 17, 2015. These evening tours continue the company’s long-standing efforts to honor and support the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright – one of America’s most innovative architects.

Wright @ Night

The “Wright @ Night” evening tours are offered on Thursday evenings at 6:30 p.m., lasting approximately two hours. SC Johnson’s evening tours offer an exclusive opportunity to experience rarely seen views of the company’s legendary Wright-designed buildings at night. The Administration Building and Research Tower are featured at the center of the company’s global headquarters. Both buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. Reservations are required.* To make a reservation for daytime or evening tours, or for additional information, visit www.scjohnson.com/visit**

Among the special sights that evening visitors will enjoy:

  • The Administration Building, with its 43 miles of Pyrex glass tubing outlining its remarkable shape in the night.
  • The Research Tower, one of the tallest structures ever built on the cantilever principle, set aglow by the internal lighting system that was restored to Wright’s original vision in 2014.
  • The remarkable Great Workroom, which is still actively in use today, its nighttime stillness making it even more like the “cathedral” Wright famously compared it to.
  • The Foster + Partners-designed Fortaleza Hall, lit up by the Spirit of Carnaúba S-38 amphibian airplane soaring at its heart.  

On the Tour

Visitors to SC Johnson’s global headquarters see:

  • The Administration Building, Wright’s first design for the company’s headquarters opened in 1939. The building features more than one-half acre of open workspace in the Great Workroom and circular bird-cage elevators.
  • The Research Tower, a 15-story architectural masterpiece where many of the company’s best-known products, including Raid®, Glade®, OFF!® and Pledge®, were invented. The Tower recently went through a 12-month interior and exterior renovation, reopening to the public only last year.
  • The award-winning Fortaleza Hall, a contemporary partner to the innovative buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed by Wright-enthusiast Norman Foster of Foster + Partners. Opened in 2010, Fortaleza Hall was named for the Brazilian city at the heart of two life-changing expeditions by the Johnson family. Also, featured prominently in the building is the Spirit of Carnaúba, the airplane at the center of Carnaúba: A Son's Memoir, a remarkable film that chronicles fourth-generation CEO Sam Johnson’s journey to recreate his father H.F. Johnson Jr.’s 1935 expedition from Racine, Wis. to Fortaleza, Brazil.
  • The SC Johnson Gallery: At Home with Frank Lloyd Wright, which currently features the Wasmuth Portfolio. The 105-year-old Portfolio – hailed as one of the most important publications of the early modern architectural movement that also established Wright as the international icon he is today – offers a one-of-a-kind view of nearly 50 rarely seen framed lithographs and treasured artifacts of Wright’s most famous works.
  • The Lily Pad Gift Shop, a unique shop that features exclusive SC Johnson memorabilia and brand gift merchandise, as well as Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired items.

*No tours will be offered on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve.

**The Research Tower is accessible only via stairs.

About SC Johnson

SC Johnson is a family company dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, pest control and shoe care, as well as professional products. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE®, KIWI®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, TANA®, BAMA®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, MR MUSCLE® and RIDSECT®. The 129-year-old company, which generates $10 billion in sales, employs approximately 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com