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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 about the building’s design and cultural influence.
MW Editions is publishing 820 Ebony/Jet: Visions of the Johnson Publishing Company, an American Icon, a book documenting the former Chicago headquarters of Ebony and Jet and its distinctive interiors. The 240-page volume centers on photographs by Barbara Karant, who photographed the largely abandoned building from 2013 to 2018, and combines them with archival images, former employees’ recollections and essays.
The headquarters at 820 South Michigan Avenue was completed in 1972 for Johnson Publishing Company, the Black-owned media company behind Ebony and Jet. The building’s exterior, designed by architect John Moutoussamy, was clad in travertine marble. Inside, Palm Springs designers Arthur Elrod and William Raiser gave the 11 floors distinct combinations of color and pattern, according to the source report.
The interiors included geometric wallpaper, mirrored surfaces and patterned carpets. The cafeteria paired orange, purple and gold chevrons; co-founder Eunice Johnson’s office used cream and honey tones and incorporated items from the Johnsons’ art collection. The report says much of the design remained in place until the company left the building in 2012.
Karant began photographing the empty headquarters in 2013 and continued through 2018. The book includes 142 color and eight black-and-white images, alongside documentary photographs of the original interiors and Ebony’s in-house photo studio. Its other material includes former employees’ memories and images of Richard Hunt’s lobby sculpture, Expansive Construction (1972). A foreword by artist Deborah Willis and essays by Aaron Bryant, Cheryl Finley, Carla Williams, Jon Ott, Brenna Wynn Greer and E. James West are also included.
A Record of Black Media Spaces
The book preserves a visual record of a workplace that housed two publications central to documenting Black American life and culture. Its photographs show the building’s colors, materials and design details, while the archival images and employee recollections connect those rooms to the people and work that gave them meaning. That combination makes the volume more than a survey of interiors: it also records a physical setting for a major Black-owned media institution.
The headquarters also reflects a particular design ambition. Publisher John H. Johnson sought a building with permanence and character, and Moutoussamy’s marble-clad exterior differed from the glass-and-steel towers common at the time, the source report says. The book’s documentation offers readers a way to understand how that architectural statement continued inside through the varied floor designs.
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From 1972 Headquarters to Photo Archive
Johnson Publishing Company’s headquarters opened in 1972, after Johnson encountered resistance from real estate agents and bankers wary of financing a Black-owned company, according to the original report. Johnson commissioned Moutoussamy, identified by the report as the first Black architect to design a downtown Chicago high-rise. The building’s design paired a restrained exterior with more expressive interiors by Elrod and Raiser.
After the company moved out in 2012, Karant photographed the empty building over the next five years. With furnishings removed, her images concentrated on surfaces and architectural features, including mirrored dressing rooms and the Test Kitchen’s patterned laminate cabinetry. The book also connects the headquarters’ influence to artists including Theaster Gates, Hank Willis Thomas, Kwame Brathwaite, Lorna Simpson, Martine Syms and David Hartt.
Publication and Building Details
The source lists the book’s release date as Oct. 13 and its price as $65, but does not give a publication year. It also does not provide details about where the volume will be sold or whether the book is connected to any current plans for the building. The report describes the headquarters as formerly occupied by Johnson Publishing Company but does not establish its present ownership or use.
The source material provides no direct quotations from Karant, the publisher, the architects or former employees. It summarizes the book’s contents and history but does not reproduce the former employees’ recollections, so their specific experiences cannot be described here.
Book Release and Availability
The next stated milestone is the book’s scheduled release on Oct. 13, at a listed price of $65. Readers seeking current availability will need to check MW Editions or booksellers, as the source report does not specify purchasing locations. No further release events or related programming were identified in the supplied material.
Key Questions
What is 820 Ebony/Jet?
It is a 240-page book from MW Editions documenting the former Johnson Publishing Company headquarters in Chicago, including its interiors and history.
Who took the photographs in the book?
Barbara Karant photographed the largely abandoned headquarters from 2013 through 2018. The volume also includes documentary images of the original interiors and Ebony’s in-house photo studio.
What does the book include besides photographs?
The book includes former employees’ recollections, a foreword by Deborah Willis, essays by several writers and documentation of Richard Hunt’s lobby sculpture, Expansive Construction.
When will the book be released, and how much will it cost?
The source lists a release date of Oct. 13 and a price of $65, but does not state the year or where it will be available.
Source: rss
