Located at 820 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago, a building that may not immediately stand out among the city's renowned architectural landmarks holds a rich legacy tied to Black American culture and business. This structure served as the longtime headquarters for Johnson Publishing Company, the influential media empire behind iconic publications such as Ebony and Jet magazines.
Founded by John H. Johnson, who was born in 1918 in Arkansas and later moved to Chicago during the Great Migration, Johnson Publishing Company grew to become the largest Black-owned business in North America. Johnson famously launched his publishing venture in 1942 using a $500 loan secured against his mother’s furniture. His company debuted with Negro Digest, followed by Ebony in 1945 and Jet in 1951, fundamentally shaping the landscape of African American media and culture.
Despite his success, Johnson encountered significant challenges when relocating his offices from Chicago’s South Side to Michigan Avenue, facing difficulties securing loans and navigating the real estate market dominated by white operators. Ultimately, he succeeded, and the building at 820 S. Michigan Avenue became the first downtown Chicago office building owned by a Black-owned company. It was designed by John W. Moutoussamy, the first—and to date only—Black architect to create a downtown office high-rise in the city.
The building opened on December 5, 1971, featuring interiors designed by Palm Springs-based Arthur Elrod and William Raiser, noted for their bold and vibrant aesthetics. The opening was marked by a street closure and a poetry reading by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Gwendolyn Brooks, underscoring the cultural significance of the occasion. Johnson Publishing occupied the building until 2012, when it was sold.
In recent years, the building's historical and cultural significance has been revisited and documented through a comprehensive new collection of essays and photographs, including work by photographer Barbara Karant. Karant, who grew up near the South Shore neighborhood, first accessed the building in 2012 after it was acquired by Columbia College, intending to convert it into a library and student center. From 2013 to 2015, she took extensive photographs of the building’s interiors, capturing its unique design and serving as a visual preservation effort before the building’s transition to new uses.
In 2017, a real estate development firm purchased the property from Columbia College and began converting it into residential apartments, a move that marked a significant change in the building’s use but ensured its survival in a new form. Karant described her photography as an “aesthetic meditation,” emphasizing the building’s role as a time capsule of Black American enterprise and cultural history.
The legacy of John H. Johnson and his wife, Eunice Walker Johnson—the founder and director of the Ebony Fashion Fair—remains influential in Chicago’s cultural and business communities. Their daughter, Linda Johnson-Rice, continues to be active in both spheres. The stories and images preserved in the recent publication provide a lasting tribute to the Johnson Publishing Company’s impact on Chicago and the broader narrative of Black achievement in America.