Johnson Publishing Company

820 S. Michigan Avenue, the iconic building constructed for the Johnson Publishing Company, publishers of Ebony and Jet magazines, was designed by John Moutoussamy, and was the first African-American-owned building in Chicago's downtown area. It remains the only Chicago high-rise to be designed by an African American.[8]

Johnson Publishing had several locations throughout its history. The first, which served as its headquarters from 1942 until 1943, was inside the Supreme Life Building at 3501 S. Parkway Ave (later renamed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive). As the company grew, Johnson then purchased a building at 5619 S. State Street in 1943. Six years later, in 1949, it relocated to 1820 South Michigan Avenue, a former funeral home. In December 1971, the company moved to 820 S. Michigan.[9]

In Fall 2017, the City of Chicago designated the Johnson Building as a city landmark. Shortly thereafter, 3L Real Estate, a developer that specializes in the repurposing of classic real estate, bought the former headquarters from Columbia College Chicago and converted the office space into 150 rental apartments.  

The iconic, psychedelic Ebony Test Kitchen, used by that magazine's food editors to test recipes, was donated by 3L Real Estate to Landmarks Illinois which in turn transferred it to New York’s Museum of Food and Drink.[10] The original Ebony/Jet sign that sits atop the building has been preserved and serves both as a welcome sign from the air and an anchor for the rooftop deck with sweeping views of Grant Park, Lake Michigan and Chicago's Museum Campus.

3L Real Estate CEO Joe Slezak said it was important to maintain original features when possible and worked with interior designer Elizabeth Watters to keep subtle reminders of the initial decor designed by Arthur Elrod and William Raiser. "From the lobby, with large swaths of original wood wall paneling, to ottomans reupholstered using material (curtains/rugs) from the Johnson Publishing days, the vibe is oh so ’70s."[11]

In the early 1970s, the company's staff consisted of 300 people; 175 of them were located at the Chicago headquarters while the others worked at branch offices in Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington D.C.[12] Johnson's family held roles within the company. His wife, Eunice W. Johnson, was the founder, secretary, treasurer, and director of the Ebony Fashion Fair. His son, John H. Johnson Jr., served as a staff photographer for both Ebony and Jet magazines from 1975 until his death in December 1981. Johnson's daughter Linda Johnson-Rice served as fashion coordinator of the Ebony Fashion Fair before becoming the company's CEO in 2003.[13]

Johnson once stated, "I wasn't trying to make history, I was trying to make money."[14] According to media historian, Brenna Wynn Greer, he managed to do both. His publications both filled a niche in the market and "forever changed the popular representation of African Americans."[14] It portrayed African Americans as they saw themselves. Its photographs created for photojournalism made history.[14]

The company produced Ebony/Jet Celebrity Showcase, a spinoff television show from the two magazines. The show debuted on August 1, 1982.[17] It was eventually pulled off the air because Johnson H. Johnson was dissatisfied with the quality of the guests.[18] Ebony/Jet Showcase, a weekly, nationally syndicated TV show hosted by Greg Gumbel and Deborah Crable debuted in September 1985.[19][20] By the show's third year in 1987, it became the only Black-syndicated program to reach 92 percent of Black U.S television households and 73 percent of U.S. television households, strengthening its position as the No. 1 Black-oriented interview and entertainment show.[21] The last episode of the program aired in October 1993.

For over 40 years beginning in 1958, The company hosted the Ebony Fashion Fair, a traveling fashion show started by Eunice W. Johnson. The show raised money for scholarships and charities in cities across the United States and Canada. The fashion fair held its last show in 2009 due to the illness and later death of Johnson. In addition, Johnson Publishing produces a line of cosmetics marketed to women of color. Named Fashion Fair Cosmetics, The line was founded in 1973 and at one time was available in over 2,500 stores across the world.[22] A United Kingdom creditor petitioned a judge to force the company to sell its Fashion Fair Cosmetics UK assets in April 2019.[23]

Aside from the publications, Johnson Publishing Company purchased WGRT radio station in May 1973 for $1.8 million from Atlass Communications Inc. The company later renamed the station WJPC and began broadcasting on November 1, 1973. WJPC was the first Black-owned radio station in Chicago.[24] WJPC-FM, a predominately R&B and soul station operated from November 1973 until it was sold in December 1994.[25]

In January 2011, the company sold its headquarters of nearly 40 years located at 820 S. Michigan Avenue to Columbia College Chicago.[28] In November 2017, The building was later sold by the college to 3L Real Estate for $10 million and was converted into luxury apartments named 820Michigan.[26] The real estate company stated that Johnson Publishing Company's logo along with its former flagship publication names will remain located on top of the building.[29]

In March 2015, the company offered the Ebony/Jet photo archives, which span more than 70 years, for sale.[4] The move was made to reduce some of the company's debt. In addition, in June 2016, the company announced the sale of its publications Ebony and Jet magazines.[30] The buyer, Clear View Group, a private equity firm based in Austin, Texas, created a new publisher called Ebony Media Corp. The publications concerning the specialty cosmetics business and fashion were retained by Johnson.[31][32]

On April 9, 2019, the company filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy liquidation in a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Chicago, Illinois.[33] The company amount of creditors was listed between 200 and 999. The assets and liabilities listed for the company was between $10 million and $50 million.[23][34] The company released a statement on their bankruptcy fillings:

This decision was not easy, nor should it have been. Johnson Publishing Company is an iconic part of American and African American history since our founding in 1942, and the company's impact on society cannot be overstated.[35][36]

On April 22, 2019, Mellody Hobson, president of Chicago-based Ariel Investments, and her husband, film maker George Lucas, petitioned to take possession of the Ebony photo archives. They stated that the collection was used as collateral on a $12 million loan that Johnson Publishing received from Capital Holdings V firm, which is owned by Hobson and Lucas, in 2015.[37] In July 2019 as part of the bankruptcy proceedings, the more than 4 million item Ebony and Jet archives were auctioned off in Chicago. Winning the week-long auction was the $30 million bid by a consortium of foundations led by the J. Paul Getty Trust, with co-purchasers the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The archives will go to the Getty Research Institute and the National Museum of African American History and Culture to be made digitally available to the public.[38][39][4]

In January 2020 Johnson Publishing Co auctioned off its art collection, the last of its major assets. The 87-piece collection included works by Carrie Mae Weems, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Dindga McCannon and Walter J. Williams. The lot earned just under three million dollars.[40]

The history of Johnson Publishing Company is featured in Bayer Mack's 2019 documentary, No Lye: An American Beauty Story, that chronicles the rise and decline of the Black-owned ethnic beauty industry.[47]

• Supreme Beauty Products – (Duke/Raveen)
• WJPC Radio (now under different ownership as WNTD)
• Ebony Fashion Fair – traveling fashion show