Pioneer Information
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Johnson studied landscape architecture at Cornell University under Bryant Fleming and Liberty Hyde Bailey, Jr., and graduated in 1915. He worked in Jens Jensen’s Chicago office before serving in World War I from 1917 to 1919, for which he was awarded the Croix de Guerre. Returning to the United States he married Jensen’s daughter, Edith, and was made the office manager at Jensen’s Ravinia, Illinois, office. Simultaneously, in the 1920s, Johnson developed his own practice; over the course of his career, he contributed to more than 2,500 commissions.
After Jensen’s retirement in 1935 Johnson took over his mentor’s practice, providing continuity and stewardship on many Prairie-style projects, including Columbus Park in Chicago and Rosewood Park in Highland Park. Johnson advanced the firm’s relationship with the Ford family, designing private and corporate sites throughout the Midwest, including Greenfield Village and Dearborn Inn in Dearborn, Michigan. The company also engaged him to design the Ford exposition pavilions at the World’s Fairs in Chicago (1933) and New York (1939). Following World War II, Johnson prepared a feasibility study for Lake Forest College (1948), produced plans for several estates on the North Shore, and developed a subdivision plan for Villa Turicum in Lake Forest (1951). In the latter, he retained features of Charles A. Platt’s original design (1909–1912). With historian Leonard K. Eaton, Johnson was instrumental in the preservation of Jensen’s drawings.
Johnson passed away at the age of 74 and is buried in Lake Forest Cemetery in Lake Forest, Illinois.
