Even if you've already visited the Robie House, marveled at the Unity Temple and taken in the lobby of the Rookery Building, there are more buildings by noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright that you can admire without straying too far from Chicago. The corporate headquarters of SC Johnson in Racine, Wisconsin (just a two-hour drive from Chicago), contains more examples of Wright's distinctive design, including the expansive Administration Building and the 15-floor Research Tower.
As part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, SC Johnson is offering free bus trips to its corporate headquarters, where visitors can tour Wright-designed buildings on its campus. The bus trips are being offered on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (holidays excluded) through January 8, 2018, with buses departing at 9am on Thursdays; 9 and 10:30am on Fridays; and 8am and noon on Saturdays and Sundays.
After stopping for lunch at the O&H Danish Bakery in Racine, visitors will take a tour of SC Johnson Administration Building, which opened in 1939. The building's "Great Workroom" is populated with a series of towering white columns as well as office furniture that was specially designed by Wright to complement the space. Nearby, guests will see inside the Research Tower, which Wright completed in 1950 and is one of only two existing high-rise structures designed by the architect. On Saturdays and Sundays, visitors have the opportunity to see Wingspread, a 14,000-square-foot private residence that SC Johnson leader H.F. Johnson Jr. commissioned Wright to build while he was completing the Administration Building.
Whether you're a FLW fanatic or just want to take in some sights during a weekend excursion to Madison, you shouldn't pass up a free bus trip to Wisconsin (and back!). All tours depart from the Chicago Cultural Center and reservations can be made through via SC Johnson's website.
Photograph: Courtesy SC Johnson