After facing an uncertain fate in recent years following the bankruptcy of the Johnson Publishing Company and the sale of the firm’s historic Chicago headquarters, the psychedelic Ebony test kitchen, where the magazine’s iconic A Date with a Dish recipes were developed and tested, has found a home—At least for now.

The kitchen was acquired, documented and disassembled by the preservation group Landmarks Illinois in 2018 as part of an effort to save the space. The group issued a request for proposals earlier this year in search of a steward for the installation. This week. Landmark Illinois announced that following this process, the kitchen will now head to New York City’s Museum of Food and Drink, where it will be showcased as part of the traveling exhibition African/American: Making the Nation’s Table.

The eye-catching kitchen was designed by Palm Springs-based mid-century modern interior architects William Raiser and Arthur Elrod for the magazine as part of a larger interiors project created for the publishing company. The pair were known in their day for creating sleek and high-end interiors emblematic of the era's streamlined and Space Age aesthetic.

By the time of the kitchen's design in 1971, tastes had morphed to incorporate the rich hues and varied visual and physical textures of the late 1960s. And it shows: The contemporary kitchen features swirling orange, brown, olive, and black wallpaper that was recreated along the kitchen’s wooden cabinetry surfaces using matching paint. With built-in appliances, mustard-hued countertops, Lucite cabinet pulls, and an electric coil stove and hood, the space embodies the pinnacle of what Elrod described as “Afrocentric Modernism.”

Used to create recipes for traditional fare that included, according to The Ebony Cookbook by famed chef Freda DeKnight, deviled pecans, crab and tomato bisque, and Kentucky Burgoo, the stylish kitchen holds a special place in the nation’s gastronomic heritage and hails from a time of large-scale cultural transformation. 

Though the Johnson Publishing Company building is landmarked, the designation does not extend to the building’s interiors. African American architect John W. Moutoussamy designed the overall complex, and the building continues to stand today as “the only high-rise office building in downtown Chicago built by an African American,” according to Landmarks Illinois.

Other interior elements were donated to the Theaster Gates-led Rebuild Foundation. A photography exhibition created by Barbara Karant showcasing images of various rooms in the building is currently on view at the Cliff Dwellers Club in Chicago, as well. 

MOFAD in New York City is currently raising funds to stage the highly-anticipated exhibition that will showcase the kitchen.