Construction Underway On Harley’s Hub

Construction of Davidson Park. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

It won’t be done in time for next week’s 120th Anniversary event, but construction is well underway on Harley-Davidson‘s new park.

Known as Davidson Park, it’s part of the company’s still largely undisclosed plan to reshape its west side headquarters.

The new park, scheduled for a spring 2024 opening, will be located along W. Highland Boulevard near N. 37th Street, replacing a large amount of the surface parking lots the company acquired over decades. A permit request says the project will cost $21.8 million to construct.

The central feature, The Hub, is to be a sunken, multi-use events space. It will provide views of the brick buildings the company has occupied for approximately 120 years and of a new natural environment. There are also plans for a market street, garden and nature-focused playground.

London-based Heatherwick Studio is designing the project, which fills much of a 3.9-acre lot.

“Its circular layout is defined by a combination of motorcycle driveways and turning circles, parking bays, sidewalks, plants and seats, and 360-degree viewpoints. The Hub will be built with 10 types of locally sourced brick, natural waney-edge timber, and weathered steel with a beautifully warm patina,” says a January press release that announced the park’s development.

A Board of Zoning Appeals filing says it will be “open and welcoming for all (residents, community members and visitors) to enjoy, gather and connect.” Parking for 200 motorcycles and 12 vehicles is planned.

As part of a $350,000 agreement with Milwaukee County, Highland Park to the west is being renamed Harley Park. The county will maintain ownership of that park.

Davidson Park will be owned by the Harley-Davidson Foundation. According to building permits, HGA is serving as the architect of record. Greenfire Management Services is the general contractor.

The new park is part of a surprise move by the motorcycle manufacturer to shift its historic campus away from being solely an office complex.

CEO Jochen Zeitz set off a wave of speculation in October when he told Bloomberg that the headquarters campus, 3700 W. Juneau Ave., would remain “integral” to the company, but more attention would be paid to remote work capabilities. On Dec. 13, the Milwaukee Common Council approved a request to subdivide the company’s 18.24-acre property into more parcels. The move, legally known as a certified survey map, makes it possible to sell portions of a property in the future.

The Board of Zoning Appeals filing references continued office use of the 500,000-square-foot building complex, but doesn’t detail to what extent.

Harley-Davidson’s campus is 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 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.

The motorcycle manufacturer’s history is an essential piece of its brand. The small shed where the founders built the first motorcycles was located behind the Davidson family’s 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 Harley-Davidson Museum.

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