Significant projects from this period include the Alexander Main Curtiss House designed with partner James Marling.

[1][3] After Marling's death, Johnson, at the age of 32,[1] formed a partnership with the German born and trained architect August Esenwein.

[1] From its inception in 1897, Esenwein & Johnson was one of the most successful architectural firms of the time and is credited with the design of many buildings that have become Western New York landmarks.

Of special note is the decorative features of Johnson's design for the 1912 Niagara Mohawk Building which foreshadowed Art Deco ornamentation.

[1] A number of Johnson's Buffalo, New York, buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places including The Calumet, Hotel Lafayette, M. Wile and Company Factory Building, Fosdick-Masten Park High School and Lafayette High School.