wingspread tours

The Whirling Arrow

News and updates from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

Experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wingspread in Immersive Video Tour

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation | May 7, 2020

Tour the Wingspread Estate

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Wingspread , located along the shores of Lake Michigan in Racine, Wisconsin, has added an immersive  360 degree virtual guided tour  to its website.

Filmed in the Great Hall, this firsthand video tour gives viewers a chance to learn about the iconic design and history of this remarkable 14,000-foot building, once the home of Herbert Fisk Johnson, Jr. of SC Johnson.

Photos courtesy of Wingspread.com

Wingspread, now home of The Johnson Foundation, and part of the Wingspread Retreat & Executive Conference Center, has hosted many notable private events over the years including conferences that conceived organizations such as National Public Radio, National Endowment for the Arts, International Criminal Court and the Presidential Climate Action Plan. Beginning in 2018, The Johnson Foundation has opened the doors of Wingspread to businesses and organizations looking to utilize this same space for their meetings and leadership retreats.

Explore in 360 degrees

A Wingspread virtual tour featuring “The Wigwam and The Necklace.”

Watch all five Wingspread guided virtual tours here.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Larkin and Johnson Wax Workspaces

Frank Lloyd Wright stepped onto the national architecture scene with the substantial essay “In the Cause of Architecture” in the Architectural Record of March, 1908. His first sentence set the terms for understanding his work: “Radical though it be, the work here illustrated is dedicated to a cause conservative in the best sense of the word.” 

Frank Lloyd Wright Sites to Swap Virtual Visits

Weekly Thursday video tours spotlight beauty of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings closed due to COVID-19

Wingspread: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Largest Prairie-Style House was Home to the Johnsons

• Architecture

Wingspread is a Prairie Style Home Like No Other

Completed in 1939, Wingspread beautifully interacts with the prairie around it, and lets in bountiful, warm light through its many windows and skylights. Wright called it “the last of the Prairie houses.”   During the early 20th century, Wright developed a philosophical foundation for his work based on how people connect with nature. His “Prairie-style” homes bring this notion to life. They’re characterized by horizontal lines, low-pitched roofs and materials in accord with local nature.   As Wright’s Prairie-style designs evolved, he often planned the living and dining rooms – and other social gathering spaces – as a large, continuing space or “open plan.” This aimed to create a natural flow and to draw occupants out of rooms and into a shared central space. 

A Water Leak and Wright's "Honest Arrogance"

Known for his “honest arrogance,” Wright refused to allow anyone to “tamper” with the designs of Wingspread, whatever the reason. Yet, certain innovations became difficult to live with — something H.F. explained to Wright time and time again.

Those exchanges have become legendary, but none as memorable as the tale of the leaky roof at Wingspread. 

As fourth-generation leader Sam Johnson told the story, at a formal dinner party when he was thirteen years old, a sudden thunderstorm sent a stream of water down on H.F.’s head as he presided over the table.

In righteous anger, he put through an immediate call to Wright in Phoenix, Arizona. He told Wright that Wingspread was beautiful, but it had a leaky roof and water was leaking right on top of his head! Wright’s reply, which Sam said was loud enough for all to hear, burst from the phone: “Well, Hib, why don’t you move your chair?” “Despite such difficulties, for my father, sister and me, it was a happy place to live,” said Sam.

For my father, sister and me, [Wingspread] was a happy place to live.

Sam Johnson, fourth-generation leader of SC Johnson

An Architecture Gem for the Johnson Foundation

Wingspread was the Johnson family home through the 1950s, and was then donated to The Johnson Foundation to be an enduring source of inspiration as an educational conference center. H.F. founded The Johnson Foundation to be a convener of experts for positive change leading to healthier environments and communities.   Over more than 50 years, Wingspread has hosted hundreds of conferences and been the birthplace of organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, the International Criminal Court and National Public Radio.   In 1989, Wingspread was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Frank Lloyd Wright Tour: Experience Wingspread

Wingspread is just five miles north of our campus in Racine, Wisconsin. Plan a visit to see our Administration Building and Research Tower, and add a side trip to Wingspread too. The Johnson Foundation offers Tours that are free and open to the public with advance reservations.

You can also plan a visit to Wingspread and eight other remarkable sites around Wisconsin using the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail app, available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play

Related Stories

In SC Johnson’s Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Research Tower, Architecture Meets Science    

Designed to Inspire: SC Johnson's Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Administration Building    

Architectural Design Soars at SC Johnson’s Award-Winning Fortaleza Hall    

Wingspread Retreat & Executive Conference Center

Collaborate. Innovate. Act.

Take Your Team to New Heights of Production and Inspiration

At Wingspread Retreat and Executive Conference Center, we welcome meeting guests with warmth to this thought-provoking setting. Our secluded and serene location provides a safe, inviting meeting environment for the free and open exchange of ideas through civil discourse. Comfortable accommodations, available campus exclusivity and attentiveness to participants' every need minimizes distractions and maximizes engagement.

The minute you drive through our gates, the campus is yours.

Limited Time Offer – Winter Meetings

BOGO Meeting Offer!

The Wright House for the Right Meeting.

Virtual Guided Historical Tour

Enjoy a 360° virtual guided tour of Wingspread's Great Hall! Learn about the iconic design and history of this Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building. Once a private home's main living area, the Great Hall at Wingspread is now used for meetings, receptions and dining experiences. Click the titles below to experience a full 360° perspective of this remarkable space. Interested in touring Wingspread? Book in advance here.

Kettle Pulling Out The Horizon 

Seeburg Music System

In 1959, H.F. Johnson and his wife moved into a new home next to Wingspread. Built by California architect Henry L. Eggers and designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, the new residence overlooked Wingspread’s pond and was called “The House.” Its facilities provide a uniquely intimate meeting place for groups. 

Dining Room Table

Cherokee Red Flooring

Wigwam & the necklace.

Wingspread is the house Frank Lloyd Wright designed for HF Johnson Jr, one of the SC Johnson company's leaders. It is the last and largest of Wright's Prairie-style abodes, completed in 1939. It's enormous, with 500 windows and a 30ft-high chimney. Free tours through the building take one hour, and must be booked in advance. The home is about 5 miles north of downtown Racine.

33 E Four Mile Rd. Racine

Get In Touch

262-681-3353

https://​www​.scjohnson​.com​/visit

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