MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Harley-Davidson Inc. will be repurposing surface lots at its Milwaukee headquarters and transforming the area into a community park, the company announced Wednesday.
The surface lots are adjacent to the corporate offices of Juneau Avenue. According to a news release from Harley-Davidson, designers Heatherwick Studio will transform the cement space into a "civic and soulful green gathering space."
Employees at Harley-Davidson and the public will be able to use the redeveloped space.
"Milwaukee is the place we have proudly called home for 120 years. We want Harley-Davidson's presence in Milwaukee to be more relevant than ever before, for our community, employees and our customers," said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO of Harley-Davidson.
The Harley-Davidson Foundation will oversee and fund the project.
The company said the heart of the park will feature "The Hub," a sunken multi-use space with tiered seating. It will be set among plants and trees, promoting "the idea of togetherness for the community, riders and employees alike."
The Hub will be built with locally sourced brick, natural timber, and weathered steel. It will feature 120 native plant species, including 20 species of trees and 100 species of perennials. There are also plans for a market street, contemplative garden, and nature playground.
"Our goal is to turn this historic factory land into a new public park for the people of Milwaukee. We want to make an exciting community space where people can come together with friends and family and experience the wildness of nature alongside spaces for food, performance and play. The ambition is to highlight and celebrate renewed life in the Near West Side of this very special city," said Thomas Heatherwick, Founder and Director of Heatherwick Studios.
"Having lived only a few blocks from here in the past, this is something I definitely would’ve used," Gard Pecor said.
Pecor grew up in Milwaukee and currently lives in the Washington Heights area. As a neighbor and someone interested in urban planning, he thinks a new park by the Harley Davidson offices could spark positive changes and use like the Deer District.
"We don’t have a lot of places that are really focused on community gathering and place-making and social interaction. I think this is perfect for that," Pecor said.
While Pecor is a fan, he noted the park is near the busy 35th Street so he hopes the project prioritizes safe access for pedestrians.
"Really try to make this easy and friendly walkable place to come to because you build a park and you build a state-of-the-art little gathering place, but if it’s difficult and dangerous to get to it’s not going to be used well," Pecor said.
"Clearly, they're saying it's a long-term commitment and an indication that they want to be part of the city and in the Near West Side neighborhood," said Rich Kirchen, senior reporter at the Milwaukee Business Journal.
Kirchen explained the plans cannot be overlooked and prompted questions about the future of the Harley Davidson headquarters.
"Their CEO Jochen Zeitz, he is on the record as saying he's a big supporter of remote work. In fact, he's based in the Santa Fe area a lot of the time he's not in Milwaukee. They're looking at a different model for their corporate staff, and it involves much less use of the headquarters. So the question is, how much space are they going to need? And what are they going to do with the space that they're not using," Kirchen said.
The company expects to break ground this spring and open to the public by the summer of 2024.
