Harley-Davidson Museum Design Unveiled
Harley-Davidson Press Release - Feb 27, 2006

Harley-Davidson unveiled designs for the Harley-Davidson Museum development on 20 acres at the corner of Sixth and Canal Streets near downtown Milwaukee. "The design plan for the Harley-Davidson Museum and its site incorporates striking urban design elements and engages the surrounding water and green spaces," said Museum Director Stacey Watson. "It also unites the city center with the Menomonee Valley and reflects the industrial heritage of the area and of Harley-Davidson."

"The Harley-Davidson Museum will add yet another world-class attraction to Milwaukee and showcase our city's proud history with an industry icon known worldwide," said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. "I am particularly proud of Harley-Davidson's use of green design elements to redevelop this site into a landmark that will further cement Milwaukee as a destination for visitors and Harley-Davidson enthusiasts from our region and beyond."

The Harley-Davidson Museum design has been in development for more than a year and included extensive input from Milwaukee city officials. "This has been an extremely collaborative process between Harley-Davidson and the City of Milwaukee," said Robert Greenstreet, City Architect and Planner for the Milwaukee Department of City Development and Dean of the School of Architecture & Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. "The result is an excellent building and site that the City and the Company can be proud of."

"We appreciate the support of Mayor Barrett, the Milwaukee Common Council, the Milwaukee Department of City Development and everyone who had a hand in this process," said Watson. "For 103 years our company has felt at home in Milwaukee, and the Museum development process has been no exception."

Harley-Davidson plans to break ground for the Museum later in the first half of 2006 with an anticipated opening date of 2008. When completed, the Museum is expected to attract an estimated 350,000 visitors each year from around the world.

Harley-Davidson Museum Background

About the Harley-Davidson Museum
The Harley-Davidson Museum will be a showcase for the legendary motorcycles, passionate riders and unforgettable stories that have made Harley-Davidson famous around the world. The Museum will be located in Milwaukee Wis., our company home for more than 100 years.

In March of 2005, the City of Milwaukee and Harley-Davidson Motor Company signed formal agreements related to Harley-Davidson's purchase of the Museum site at Sixth and Canal Streets near downtown Milwaukee.

Harley-Davidson Museum Facts

• The Museum will be located on a 20-acre parcel of land at the corner of Sixth and Canal Streets near downtown Milwaukee.
• The total square footage of the Museum will be 130,000 sq. ft.
• The Museum development will feature exhibit space as well as a restaurant, café, retail shop, meeting space, special events facilities, and the Company's Archives.
• The Museum development will result in an estimated 500 on-site construction jobs.
• An estimated 70 full-time jobs in Museum operations will be created when the Museum construction is complete.

The Harley-Davidson Museum Vision

Our vision is that the Museum will draw visitors locally and from throughout the world to experience the people, products, culture and history of Harley-Davidson. The Harley-Davidson Museum will celebrate the rich history of the Company, the passion of the riders, the stories of the employees, dealers, suppliers, company leaders, and community members and much more. The experience will extend to outdoor space where visitors from near and far can meet, share stories and enjoy the green spaces adjacent to the edge of the Menomonee River.

Harley-Davidson Museum Exhibit Features

The Harley-Davidson Museum will showcase the legendary motorcycles, passionate riders and unforgettable stories that have made Harley-Davidson famous around the world. General Museum features include:

• Motorcycles from Harley-Davidson's collection of more than 400 vehicles.
• Elvis Presley's 1956 Harley-Davidson KH motorcycle.
• A motorcycle known as the "King Kong" that was customized over a 40-year period by one of our customers (it is 13 feet long and has two engines).
• Our famous Serial Number One motorcycle from 1903.

Design and Architectural Elements

The design is urban, green, industrial, community-oriented, and uniquely Harley-Davidson. Specific urban design elements include:

• The restoration of the historical street grid to the end of the Menomonee Valley. Canal Street will now reach to the water and Traser, Seeboth and fifth Streets will be restored.
• The Museum will be a collection of three buildings – not just one. They are the Museum proper, the archives and annex, and the retail, restaurant and special events building.
• The buildings will be located right along the street edge to truly establish street definition.
• The building's glass facades will connect the inside and outside of the Museum and the street – a refreshing counterpart to the traditional enclosed Museum.
• The building's glass facades will connect the inside and outside of the Museum and the street – a refreshing counterpart to the traditional enclosed Museum.
• All this will activate the site and create street life -- a street scene -- a neighborhood within the city.

"Green" design elements include:

• Incorporation of multiple green spaces and places of discovery for area residents, workers, riders and visitors to gather to share experiences.
• A river walk providing access to the water's edge and engaging with the open green spaces of the site.
• Parking gardens to the west of Sixth Street incorporating grass, trees and plantings to provide an aesthetically pleasing and alternative visual experience rather than a large open area.
• The use of porous materials in the parking gardens to permit water to percolate into the ground and lessen storm water runoff for sustainability. All parking east of Sixth Street will be on-street parking.
• Light colored roofs and concrete streets to reflect and reduce heat to moderate summer temperatures in the area.
• Towers facing the city, which will serve as an important iconic image. They will also house all the building mechanicals, leaving the roof "clean."

Specific industrial elements include:

• Buildings inspired by industrial forms to reflect the industrial heritage of the Valley and of Harley-Davidson.
• Buildings designed to express their functional aspects, such as the exposed structural elements and the four towers.
• Materials that are simple, honest and straight-forward – steel, glass and brick.

Community design elements include:

• Encouragement of public access to activate the site.
• The river walk, which engages the water and green spaces.
• Urban parks lining the north and south of the site to provide recreational spaces.
• Building overhangs providing shade and weather protection to pedestrians in any weather.
• A restaurant, café and special events space where people will gather to create lifelong memories.

The Museum design reflects the industrial heritage of both Harley-Davidson and Milwaukee, the city of its birth. The forms and massing reflect the basic and functional shapes used in factories and other industrial buildings. Its exposed structures and the four towers will provide an iconic image for the company, the Museum and the city. Much like our motorcycle designs, the design of the Harley-Davidson Museum nods to the past, enriches the present, and looks forward to the future.