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New Harley Davidson Museum Brings Fans, History to Downtown Milwaukee
June 24, 2008 5:44 PM
By MATT SPECTOR
Harley Davidson motorcycle devotees now have a place to call home. Starting July 12, the 104-year-old motorcycle brand will have its own museum, replete with archives, historic motorcycles and a 20-acre "oasis," in its hometown of Milwaukee.
City officials and Harley Davidson representatives broke ground on the museum in June 2006. According to the museum’s Web site, organizers decided to forgo the traditional groundbreaking and instead "broke ground" with a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Pentagram Architects, the museum’s designers, said they approached the design with the brand’s storied history in mind.
"Willie G. Davidson (a member of the founding family) liked to say, ‘The engine is the jewel in the middle of the bike,’" architect James Biber told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "And that's the way we approached this project. It's industrial, rather than trendy."
The museum will showcase more than 400 motorcycles from throughout the company’s history, including Elvis Presley's 1956 KH model and a model from 1903, according to the Journal Sentinel. The collection will also feature the "King Kong" Harley, a 13-foot-long motorcycle with two engines that was customized by a Harley Davidson fan. The museum is expected to draw some 350,000 visitors a year, according to the museum’s Web site.
The "one-of-a-kind" museum will be a travel destination even for those who don’t have a bike, museum director Stacey Schiesl said in an email.
"The museum will give newcomers a feel for the freedom, camaraderie and pride that Harley-Davidson riders experience every time they fire up their motorcycle," Schiesl said. "We believe people from around the world will visit our destination to have a new, or their first, Harley-Davidson experience."
The brand will celebrate its 105th anniversary Aug. 28-31 with events on the grounds of the museum, concerts and a parade. For the week preceding the anniversary, the company is organizing the "largest Harley Davidson ride ever" with 25 cross-country routes and 80 starting points.
For now, CLICK HERE to check out the museum’s Web site.
Visitors can take a virtual tour of the museum here and order an engraved rivet to be displayed on the museum’s plaza here.
June 24, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (2)
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That sounds like fun! I don't even own a Harley, but I've always been able to tell a REAL motorcycle from a "plasticycle"! The only other motorcycle I can think of which should be included in a historical exhibit is an Indian.
Posted by: Rhys | Jun 24, 2008 6:54:54 PM
Well… I visit your website first time and found this site very useful and interesting.
Marion
Posted by: used harley | Jul 31, 2009 8:11:48 AM
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