You probably think of PepsiCo as a gritty, high-octane New York City titan. You imagine glass skyscrapers on Park Avenue and executives rushing through Midtown traffic with briefcases and blue-labeled cans.
And you’d be half right. At least, you would have been about fifty years ago.
PepsiCo's actual world headquarters is about as far from a frantic city street as you can get while still technically being in the New York area. It’s tucked away in a quiet, leafy hamlet called Purchase, New York. If that sounds like the name of a place where people buy large estates and keep horses, well, that’s exactly what it is.
The Surprise of Purchase, New York
When people ask where is Pepsi headquartered, they usually expect an address in a major metropolitan hub. Instead, the company operates out of a 144-acre campus at 700 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY 10577.
Purchase isn't even its own city. It’s a small community within the town of Harrison in Westchester County. Honestly, it’s kinda beautiful. The campus is basically a massive park that just happens to have several hundred million dollars' worth of corporate infrastructure and modern art hidden inside it.
The move out of Manhattan happened in 1970. Back then, there was this massive trend of big corporations "fleeing" the city. They wanted space. They wanted air. They wanted to build "corporate cathedrals" in the suburbs where their employees wouldn't be distracted by the chaos of 42nd Street.
The Architecture: Inverted Pyramids and Modernism
The building itself is a trip. Designed by the famous architect Edward Durell Stone, the complex consists of seven three-story buildings. They are connected at the corners, forming a sort of cross shape if you look at them from a drone.
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The design is often described as "inverted ziggurats." Basically, each floor is slightly larger than the one below it, hanging out over the landscape. It looks like something out of a 1970s sci-fi movie—very clean, very structured, and very white.
Why the Design Matters
- Expansion: The "blocks" were designed so the company could theoretically keep adding more squares to the pattern as they grew.
- Light: Stone used huge glass panes to let in as much natural light as possible.
- Integration: The goal was to make the buildings look like they were rising naturally out of the grass.
More Than an Office: The Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens
Here is the part that most people—even locals—sometimes forget. The Pepsi headquarters isn't just a place for spreadsheets and marketing meetings. It is home to the Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens.
Donald Kendall was the CEO who spearheaded the move to Purchase. He was a massive art lover. He didn't just want a lawn; he wanted a "museum without walls."
Today, the grounds feature about 45 world-class sculptures. We’re talking heavy hitters: Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, and Alberto Giacometti. There’s a giant trowel by Claes Oldenburg and a massive bronze disc that looks like a sun-god relic.
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It’s open to the public on weekends during certain parts of the year (usually April through November). If you ever find yourself in Westchester on a Saturday, you can literally walk around the CEO's backyard and look at millions of dollars of art for free. It’s one of those "hidden in plain sight" things that makes the location so unique.
Is Everything in Purchase?
No. PepsiCo is a monster of a company.
While the "brains" are in Purchase, they have massive hubs all over the country. If you’re talking about Frito-Lay, the snacks division that makes your Doritos and Cheetos, that’s actually based in Plano, Texas.
Gatorade and Quaker Oats? Those are mostly handled out of Chicago.
So, while the global executive leadership sits in a quiet New York suburb, the actual day-to-day operations for specific brands are scattered. But when the big decisions are made—the ones that move stock prices and launch global Super Bowl ads—they come from that seven-building complex in Westchester.
Why They Stay (Despite the Costs)
You’d think a company like Pepsi would have moved back to a city by now. A lot of other companies did. GE left Connecticut for Boston. McDonald's moved from the suburbs to downtown Chicago.
But PepsiCo doubled down. They spent roughly $243 million on a massive renovation of the Purchase campus starting around 2013. They updated the interiors, fixed the "ziggurat" facades, and modernized the workspace.
They seem to like the isolation. It provides a level of security and "campus culture" that you just can't get when your employees are scattered across twenty floors of a rented skyscraper in a busy city center. Plus, let's be real: having a private sculpture garden as your break area is a pretty good recruiting tool.
Things to Know If You Visit
If you actually decide to drive up to see where Pepsi is headquartered, don't just show up on a Tuesday and expect to walk into the lobby.
- Security is tight. You can’t just wander into the office buildings. Those are for employees only.
- Public Access: The sculpture gardens are the only part accessible to the public, and they have strict hours (usually 10 AM to 4 PM on weekends).
- The Rules: No pets. No bikes. No smoking. No "touching the art." They are very serious about that last one. These aren't playground sets; they are priceless historical artifacts.
- Weather: There is no "indoor" visitor center. If it starts pouring rain, you’re going to get soaked, because the security guards won't let you hang out in the lobby.
Actionable Insights for the Curious
- Check the Schedule: If you want to visit the grounds, always check the official PepsiCo Sculpture Garden website first. They sometimes close for private corporate events on weekends.
- Art History Buffs: Bring a PDF map of the sculptures. The campus is huge, and it’s easy to miss the "Hidden" Rodin or the smaller Giacometti pieces tucked near the trees.
- Career Seekers: If you are applying for a corporate role at PepsiCo, clarify which division you are joining. If it's beverages or global strategy, you're likely headed to Purchase. If it's snacks, get ready for Texas.
Ultimately, PepsiCo's home in Purchase is a relic of a specific era of American business—the "suburban campus" era. While many companies have abandoned that model, Pepsi has turned theirs into a landmark. It’s a mix of mid-century architecture, high-end art, and corporate power, all hidden behind a wall of trees in a quiet New York town.
Next Steps for You:
If you're planning a trip to see the headquarters, the best move is to combine it with a visit to the Neuberger Museum of Art, which is literally right across the street on the SUNY Purchase campus. You can hit both in one afternoon and see some of the best 20th-century art in the country without ever paying for a museum ticket in NYC.