Harley Museum

Shifting gears at Harley museum
By RICK BARRETT
rbarrett@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Dec. 12, 2007

The 200-foot glass wall has been finished, and the first major construction phase of Harley-Davidson's museum has been completed.
91735Harley-Davidson Museum

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The company left two old "sand-hoppers" on the museum site, which were used for loading sand into trucks. They are orange, which is one of Harley-Davidson's primary colors.

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Photos/Harley-Davidson

Although an opening date for next year hasn't been announced, this rendering shows what the completed Harley-Davidson museum will look like.
What's in Store

The Harley-Davidson museum, scheduled to open next summer, will feature hundreds of motorcycles, including brightly colored Art Deco models from the 1930s.

There will be interactive exhibits that allow visitors to get the "feel" of a Harley.

Visitors also can expect to see displays that explain the "nuts and bolts" of Harley engines.
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In early 2008, the iconic motorcycle manufacturer will be setting up exhibits, and the museum remains on schedule for opening in the summer, Harley officials said Wednesday.

The three buildings have been fully enclosed, and work has begun on the interiors, said Harley spokeswoman Rebecca Bortner.

"We are at the point where the structure is pretty much complete," she said.

Expected to draw 350,000 visitors a year, the Harley museum at 6th and Canal streets will be one of Milwaukee's biggest tourist attractions, much like Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Atlanta's Coca-Cola Museum.

Harley's vast archives include motorcycles, clothing, photos, posters, promotional materials and magazines. There's one bike from each of Harley's 104 years, and there are Harley bicycles, snowmobiles and golf carts the company made years ago.

A customized Harley named King Kong also will be displayed. It's more than 13 feet long, weighs more than 1,000 pounds and has two Knucklehead engines. The bike's original owner, Felix Predko of Pennsylvania, spent more than 4,000 hours doing the customization.

For now, the museum's construction is center stage as hundreds of workers and contractors do a choreographed dance.

Companies from across the nation have been bidding for the right to install everything from steel beams to restroom partitions. Some contractors are motorcycle enthusiasts eager to etch their mark on the museum.

Harley produced a short video about one enthusiast, a bricklayer, who did the masonry work on one of the museum's walls.

A wall with Harley-Davidson written on it contains 20,887 bricks, including 4,700 bricks used for the lettering. Each brick was numbered, cut and placed in the wall by hand - by a Harley rider who put his heart and soul into it.

"We have seen a lot of enthusiasm like that," Bortner said.

Exposed steel, rivets and concrete are meant to reflect Milwaukee's and Harley's industrial heritage. The company purposely left two old, rusted "sand hoppers" on the 20-acre site that were used for loading sand into trucks. They are orange, which is one of Harley's primary colors.

The museum's raw look has created its own challenges, though, as contractors take precautions not to scratch or mar something that normally would be covered by drywall, carpet or paint.

Landscaping includes 700 recently planted trees and 5,000 bushes and native plants. The work was done in the fall so the trees and bushes would start growing in the spring.
Opens next year

The museum's opening date hasn't been revealed yet, though it will coincide with Harley's 105th anniversary celebration next summer.

Already, hundreds of people have asked about booking special events at the museum. Some of the requests have been for weddings.

"We have done a ton of publicity work in the motorcycle enthusiast community," Bortner said.

More than motorcycles, the museum is supposed to represent local culture. It has been called a showcase for the Menomonee Valley, an industrial area that was once an eyesore but has experienced extensive redevelopment.

Officials from Louisville, Ky., visited the Menomonee Valley to see how it might be a model for an industrial restoration in their city.

On Wednesday, Gov. Jim Doyle announced a $1.25 million brownfield grant to Harley that's supposed to help cover environmental remediation costs at the museum site.

Doyle estimates the museum will generate $78 million a year in area spending and $1.23 million a year in state and local taxes.