Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Factory Building

The Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Factory Building was the original Harley-Davidson motorcycle factory constructed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1906. The factory was located at what is now 3700 W. Juneau and it was regularly expanded with additions in the early 1900s. It was added to National Register of Historic Places on November 9, 1994.

Background


Harley-Davidson's first location was a backyard shed where William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson built three motorcycles in 1903. Arthur Davidson's father was a cabinet maker and he constructed the shed in the Davidson backyard: it was 10 x. In 1904 the shed size was doubled with an addition and the fledgling company produced 8 motorcycles. In 1905 the shed size was doubled again with another addition. By the end of 1905 Harley and Davidson applied for and received a loan to build a factory. They purchased land at what is now Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and began constructing the 1906 Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Factory Building. In 1906, Harley and the Davidson brothers built their first factory on Chestnut Street (later Juneau Avenue). The first Juneau Avenue plant was 28 x.

Design
The original factory was at the current location of Harley-Davidson's corporate headquarters. In 1906 the company produced 50 machines in their new factory.

The building was continually expanded to meet the demand with construction occurring often. The company also rented factory space in other Milwaukee locations. The demand for Harley-Davidson motorcycles was growing each year: In 1909 they produced 1,149, motorcycles, in 1911 5,625, in 1912 3,852, in 1913 12,966. Motorcycles were produced at the original location from 1903 to 1973.

By 1909 the machine shop occupied 5760 sqft. The building was considered modern in 1909 but by 1913 it was inadequate based on the increased demand for Harley-Davidsons. The company razed the structure from April 17 to 23, 1913, and began building a larger factory which would be open by June 1913. In 1913 Motorcycle Illustrated published an article on Harley-Davidson constructing their 8th building on the property. It was a 6-story structure with 40320 sqft of floor space designated for the machine shop and the building was 90 x. The structure was built at a cost of US$100,000.

The original 1906 Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Factory Building site was added to the Wisconsin Historical Society Register of Historic Places on January 1, 1989, and added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 9, 1994.