S.C. Johnson opens new building at HQ campus

S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. this week opened the new, 60,000-sqaure-foot Fortaleza Hall building at it headquarters campus at 1525 Howe St., Racine.
The new building has two distinct sections: Fortaleza Hall, which provides historical context for the company and the advances that continue to take place through displays and memorabilia, the Frank Lloyd Wright Library and Legacy Gallery; and The Commons, which offers employee services like dining, concierge services, company store, bank and fitness center in a comfortable environment.
Fortaleza Hall is the first major new building on the company’s international headquarters since 1967 when the Golden Rondelle, originally built as a movie theatre for the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair, it was disassembled and brought to Racine where it was rebuilt.
Spherical in shape and made primarily of glass, Fortaleza Hall houses a full-size twin-engine S-38 amphibious plane suspended to simulate it in flight which can be viewed by all passers-by.
“This building is intended to inspire us, to be a special place to remind us of our sense of adventure,” said chairman and CEO, Fisk Johnson. “It is a symbol of our unique history of innovation, creativity and progressive attitude. My family wanted this to be a jewel for our community. Imagine a little boy or a little girl looking out a car window seeing that sight of the brightly colored S-38 amphibious plane soaring and in their minds being transported somewhere else by the adventure and romance of it all.”