This Summer, Road Trips are the "Wright" Way to Go

RACINE, Wis., June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- This summer nearly 80 percent of travelers* will hit the road for their vacation destination. For architecture enthusiasts, a trip to Racine, Wis. and the SC Johnson global headquarters offers a rich look at the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120628/CG32552-a)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120628/CG32552-b)

Racine, a day's drive for the more than five million people within the Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis-metro areas, boasts the Wright-designed SC Johnson campus, Wingspread and The Hardy House. New to the area is The SC Johnson Gallery: At Home with Frank Lloyd Wright, a free exhibit that showcases a rotating selection of Wright's designs and artifacts and explores the legendary architect's influence on families and the American home.  Within a 220-mile span visitors can also see Taliesin, Wright's home and architectural laboratory in Spring Green, Wis., The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, Ill., and The Robie House in Chicago.

"A visit to SC Johnson is an unique, free educational opportunity for families and architecture admirers to explore one-of-a-kind treasures created by Frank Lloyd Wright," said Kelly M. Semrau, Senior Vice President – Global Corporate Affairs, Communication & Sustainability for SC Johnson. "The new gallery, the perfect complement to the iconic campus buildings, offers visitors a look at many rarely seen items that are focused on Wright's influence on families and the American home. Paired with any of the other Wright experiences in the area, it's an ideal weekend getaway."

The Gallery: Now Open and Free to the Public
This debut exhibit focuses on Wright's iconic Prairie-Style which was the center of his designs from 1899-1909. The Prairie-Style exhibit is the first in an annual series of exhibits at The Gallery, done in collaboration with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Rather than simply reflecting one period of Wright's work, the collection will continue to explore Wright's influence on the home throughout his career – from Wright's earliest exploration of the natural house in the late 1800s through his American System-Built pre-cut housing venture of 1917 to his reinvention of the American home in 1940. The collection will also feature artifacts from the mid-1950s, when his work reached legendary scale. 

The Gallery, housed in the Fosters + Partners-designed Fortaleza Hall on SC Johnson's campus, is also home to the Frank Lloyd Wright Research Library which features a collection of more than 800 items. The Gallery is co-curated by Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer, Archives Director at Taliesin West, Ariz., and Brady Roberts, Chief Curator of the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Visiting SC Johnson
To celebrate The Gallery opening, SC Johnson has expanded hours for visitors. Three tour programs which run from 1 hour to 3.5 hours are offered. Tours are on Fridays and Saturdays and are all free of charge. They include:

• The Legacies Tour (3.5 hours) – In this in-depth, 3.5-hour tour, explore the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed SC Johnson Administration Building as well as the award-winning Foster + Partners-designed Fortaleza Hall with the Spirit of Carnauba airplane soaring at its heart. See Sam Johnson's acclaimed film Carnauba: A Son's Memoir, with its enduring family message, and enjoy the Academy Award-winning documentary To Be Alive! This tour also includes The SC Johnson Gallery: At Home with Frank Lloyd Wright.
• The Landmarks Tour (2 hours) – Designed in 1936, the Administration Building was the first project that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for SC Johnson. Renowned for its unique dendriform columns, open concept half-acre of workspace, circular "bird cage" elevators and 43 miles of glass tubing, this landmark is celebrated as one of the top 25 buildings of the 20th century. In this 2-hour tour, explore the Administration Building and visit the award-winning Foster + Partners-designed Fortaleza Hall. Then, enjoy The SC Johnson Gallery: At Home with Frank Lloyd Wright.
• The Gallery Tour (1 hour) – The 1-hour Gallery Tour is designed for those who want to focus on The Gallery and its debut exhibit.

The Lily Pad, a unique gift shop featuring exclusive SC Johnson memorabilia and Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired items, is open in conjunction with all tours.  For more information on tours of the SC Johnson campus, please call (262) 260-2154, email [email protected], use the online scheduling tool at www.scjohnson.com/visit or visit us on Twitter @VisitSCJ.

See More Wright
The Gallery adds to a number of Frank Lloyd Wright landmarks across the Midwest. Racine is situated in the midst of a 220-mile span between Oak Park, Ill. and Spring Green, Wis., additional works of architectural importance within the area include:

• Wingspread, the home Wright designed for the Johnson family in 1937, in Racine, Wis., now a conference center for The Johnson Foundation. For tour information: http://www.johnsonfdn.org/contact-us/tours-johnson-foundation-wingspread
• Taliesin, Wright's home and architectural laboratory in Spring Green, Wis. For tour information: http://www.taliesinpreservation.org/visitors-guide/our-tours
• The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, Ill. For tour information: http://gowright.org/home-and-studio.html
• The Robie House in Chicago. For tour information: http://www.gowright.org/research/wright-robie-house.html
• American System-Built homes in the Burnham Street Historic District, Milwaukee. For tour information: http://www.wrightinmilwaukee.com/tours/tabid/56/Default.aspx
• The Jacobs House in Madison, Wis. For tour information: http://www.usonia1.com/06_visit.html

For other Racine-based attractions and hotel accommodations, please visit www.realracine.com

About SC Johnson
SC Johnson is a family-owned and managed business 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. 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 126-year-old company, that generates $9 billion in sales, employs nearly 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com

*May 2012 Survey conducted by AutoTrader.com

Contact: Jam Stewart
262-260-2440
[email protected]

SOURCE SC Johnson