Davidson Park is a radical transformation of an underutilized concrete parking lot serving Harley-Davidson's headquarters in Milwaukee into a soulful, civic gathering space. The mission of the project was to turn the joyless, utilitarian surface into an exciting community space where people can connect with nature, enjoy each other’s company, and play.

At the core of the park is "The Hub," a 260-feet-wide sunken multi-use events space with tiered seating surrounded by lush greenery. The circular, amphitheater layout features motorcycle driveways, parking bays, sidewalks, planting, timber seats, and 360-degree viewpoints. One direction offers views of Harley-Davidson’s historic buildings, while the other showcases the park's diverse gathering, market, reflection, and play areas framed with indigenous plantings.

Sustainability is a core element, with features designed to repair the landscape and minimize stormwater impacts, celebrating the land's heritage. In collaboration with the Forest County Potawatomi, the park incorporates sacred plantings. Locally sourced materials include varied bricks, natural timber seats, wood stairs, and weathered steel, creating a warm patina. Detail throughout is intentional, including motorcycle ‘bays’ which are laid in a unique pattern, and reflecting local culture and heritage, providing a moment of surprise to visitors.

Heatherwick Studio led the conceptual design, collaborating with local firm HGA for design, landscape, and engineering, with Greenfire Management Services ensuring the project aligns with Harley-Davidson's community-focused values. The park's design involved extensive community engagement, emphasizing accessibility and individual experience.

Davidson Park's conception became a reality through collaborative partnerships and stakeholder input over three years, starting with an Appreciative Inquiry Summit in July 2021. The Near West Side of Milwaukee neighborhood expressed a desire for additional green space that fosters gathering, health, well-being, and arts and culture, a vision the Harley-Davidson Foundation was keen to fulfill. Beyond the initial hope ignited during the summit, the community continued to provide meaningful input on park design elements, future park programming, community engagement, and more. With intentional engagement with students, accessibility advocates, the community, and others, the design of the park celebrates input and execution with an eye to the detail and the experience of the individual.

In fall 2023, the Harley-Davidson Foundation worked with Story School and Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) to solicit brick bay designs from area middle and high school students that connect to local culture and heritage. Twenty-four selected student designs were built and placed in strategic locations within the Hub. As guests visit the park, they will see amongst the brick designs the Near West Side neighborhood logo, local landmarks, a badger – the state animal of Wisconsin - as well as the famous Wisconsin cheese and the year 1903 which honors the first H-D motorcycle built in the shed across the street from where the park is today.

The H-D Foundation also worked with MIAD to solicit designs representing the Near West Side for the 4-foot diameter, cast iron medallion that will be placed at the center of the Hub. The selected design was created by Megan Huss.