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MW Editions is publishing 820 Ebony/Jet: Visions of the Johnson Publishing Company, an American Icon, a 240-page book documenting the former Chicago headquarters of Ebony and Jet. It brings together Barbara Karant’s photographs, archival images, former employees’ recollections and essays on the building’s design and cultural influence.
MW Editions is publishing a 240-page book documenting the former Chicago headquarters of Johnson Publishing Company, the Black-owned media company behind Ebony and Jet. Titled 820 Ebony/Jet: Visions of the Johnson Publishing Company, an American Icon, the volume brings together photographer Barbara Karant’s images of the building’s distinctive interiors with archival photographs, employee recollections and essays.
Karant began photographing the abandoned headquarters in 2013, a year after Johnson Publishing Company left the building at 820 South Michigan Avenue. She continued documenting it through 2018. Her photographs record geometric wallpaper, mirrored rooms, patterned carpets and the Test Kitchen’s swirling laminate cabinetry, much of which remained in place after the company departed.
The book contains 142 color and eight black-and-white images. Its material also includes documentary photographs of the original interiors and Ebony’s in-house photo studio, as well as Richard Hunt’s lobby sculpture, Expansive Construction (1972). Recollections from former employees offer accounts of working in the headquarters.
MW Editions lists the book at 240 pages and $65, with a foreword by artist Deborah Willis and essays by Aaron Bryant, Cheryl Finley, Carla Williams, Jon Ott, Brenna Wynn Greer and E. James West. The publisher’s stated release date is Oct. 13; the supplied report does not identify the year.
A Record of Black Media Design
The book preserves more than an unusual office interior. Ebony and Jet documented Black American life and culture for decades, and their publisher’s headquarters gave that work a physical setting. The photographs offer a record of the rooms where a major Black-owned media company operated, at a time when those interiors are no longer in their original everyday use.
The design also carries architectural significance. The headquarters was completed in 1972 and designed by John Moutoussamy, described in the source report as the first Black architect to design a downtown Chicago high-rise. The images and accompanying material connect the building’s architecture, workplace and publishing history without treating its visual style as separate from the institution that created it.
For readers, artists and researchers, the volume gathers photographs and firsthand recollections into one publication. Its documentation may help preserve details that could otherwise be difficult to encounter, although the source does not state that the book is a complete architectural record or archival catalogue.
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From 820 South Michigan to the Book
Publisher John H. Johnson commissioned Moutoussamy after encountering resistance from real estate agents and bankers wary of financing a Black-owned company, according to the source report. Johnson wanted a headquarters with permanence and character. Its exterior used travertine marble, while the interiors took a more expressive approach.
Palm Springs designers Arthur Elrod and William Raiser gave the building’s 11 floors distinct combinations of color and pattern. The cafeteria used orange, purple and gold chevrons; the office of co-founder Eunice Johnson featured cream-and-honey tones and pieces from the couple’s art collection. The source says much of this design remained unchanged until the company left in 2012.
Karant photographed the vacant building from 2013 to 2018, concentrating on surfaces and details after the furnishings and daily activity were gone. The publication also traces the headquarters’ influence on artists including Theaster Gates, Hank Willis Thomas, Kwame Brathwaite, Lorna Simpson, Martine Syms and David Hartt, as described in the report.
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Release Details Still Need Confirmation
The supplied source gives an Oct. 13 release date and a $65 price but does not specify the release year, current availability, sales outlets or whether the date has changed. It also does not provide a statement from MW Editions or Karant beyond the publication information reported by Design Milk.
The report describes the interiors as remarkably intact when Karant photographed the building, but it does not establish the headquarters’ current condition, access arrangements or the present status of every design feature documented in the book. Readers should not infer from the photographs alone that the interiors remain as photographed.
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Check the Publisher’s Release Listing
The next practical step for readers interested in the book is to check MW Editions’ current listing for its confirmed publication date, price and ordering details. The source report does not identify a launch event, additional editions or plans for public access to the former headquarters.
Further information about the building’s present condition or preservation status would need to come from the publisher, building owner or relevant preservation authorities; none is provided in the source material.
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Key Questions
What is the book about?
820 Ebony/Jet: Visions of the Johnson Publishing Company, an American Icon documents the former Johnson Publishing Company headquarters in Chicago through photographs, archival material, former employees’ recollections and essays.
Who photographed the headquarters?
Barbara Karant photographed the vacant building from 2013 through 2018, focusing on its patterns, surfaces and interior details.
What is included in the book?
The 240-page volume includes 142 color and eight black-and-white photographs, documentary images of the interiors and Ebony’s photo studio, employee recollections, essays and material on Richard Hunt’s lobby sculpture.
When will it be available, and how much does it cost?
The source report lists an Oct. 13 release date and a $65 price, but does not specify the year or confirm whether the date remains current. Check MW Editions for up-to-date availability.
Does the book confirm the interiors are still intact?
No. The source says much of the design remained in place when Johnson Publishing Company left in 2012 and describes Karant’s photographs of the building through 2018. It does not establish the headquarters’ current condition.
Source: rss
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