Whither Harley-Davidson’s Headquarters?

Much of the speculation about the future of the office has focused on its impact on urban downtowns, but Milwaukee’s first true test case could come on the city’s near West Side.

Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz revealed last week that the motorcycle company would repurpose its 500,000-square-foot headquarters at 3700 W. Juneau Ave. In comments about remote work to Bloomberg published Oct. 17, Zeitz said the property would remain “integral” to the company, but more attention would be paid to remote work capabilities.

“It democratizes the way we work together and allows you to bring the best talent into the company, no matter where they sit,” said Zeitz, who splits his time between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Milwaukee. He has led the company, which has yet to fully reopen its offices since the pandemic took hold, since 2020.

Harley-Davidson’s campus occupies 18.24 acres of land located near the intersection of N. 35th St. and W. Highland Blvd. The actual headquarters is a series of brick buildings that date back to 1910, with a number of surrounding properties acquired in the ensuing 112 years. The company used the complex for manufacturing until the 1970s. Today the buildings are home to the majority of the company’s white-collar workforce.

In a LinkedIn post published Friday, Zeitz said Harley-Davidson remains committed to Milwaukee and is “excited about the ideas we have to invest in our Milwaukee campuses for the future.”

“By building on our most recent investment into our Harley-Davidson Museum Campus, we know we can adjust elements of our footprint to adapt to a new way of working and living – not only for our employees, but importantly for our surrounding communities too,” wrote Zeitz. “I’m proud that at Harley-Davidson, we are providing the modern, forward-thinking flexibility that we believe will define the working environment of the future. Our roots are firmly planted in Milwaukee and Wisconsin; however, we are a U.S. company with a global workforce​, and we believe that promoting an agile way of working will be key to our future success. It’s proven to be successful already.”

In September, Harley-Davidson completed the spinoff of its LiveWire electric motorcycle division. The new entity has a “virtual headquarters” with offices in Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, CA) and Milwaukee. Zeitz is the CEO of the publicly-traded spinoff in addition to his role with Harley-Davidson.

Harley-Davidson operates plants in Tomahawk, WI, Pennsylvania, Brazil, Thailand and locally in Wauwatosa and Menomonee Falls. It closed an approximately 400,000-square-foot plant in Wauwatosa in 2011 and sold the property to a U-Haul affiliate in 2015. It shuttered a Missouri plant in 2019 and closed its India operations in 2020.

The motorcycle manufacturer’s history is an essential piece of the company’s brand. The small shed where the founders built the first motorcycles was located behind the Davidson home, today the site of the current headquarters. “If you are visiting Milwaukee, stop by and take your picture at this historic landmark,” says the company’s website about the headquarters. A replica of the shed can be found at the museum.

According to city assessor records, Harley-Davidson’s campus is assessed for $12.96 million. But the office buildings and primary parking lot are deemed “manufacturing” property, resulting in the bulk of that value being calculated by the state.

Harley-Davidson, along with neighbor Molson Coors, was one of the large employers that helped form the nonprofit Near West Side Partners in 2014. The organization is focused on stabilizing and growing a cluster of neighborhoods located west of Interstate 43 and north of Interstate 94. Other backers include Advocate Aurora Health Care, Marquette University and the Potawatomi Business Development Corporation. Zeitz has publicly spoken at an event for the organization.

At the end of 2021, the motorcycle company reported having approximately 5,800 employees.

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