The Packers yesterday said that they will "remove ground between Robert E. Harlan Plaza and Lombardi Avenue, uncovering what is now the basement of the atrium, and move the Pro Shop to the new ground level" as part of renovations to Lambeau Field, according to Richard Ryman of the GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE. The Packers HOF will "move to the second floor of the atrium, where Curly’s Pub is currently located." Curly’s will "move to the main floor of the atrium, where the Pro Shop is now." The $140.5M project, "paid for by the Packers without public money, will begin in March and be completed in June 2015." The Packers are referring to it as "Phase 2." The organization "considers the first phase" to be the addition of 7,000 seats in the stadium and other improvements costing $146M, "also privately funded." The Pro Shop will be "visible from Lombardi Avenue along the length of, but under, Harlan Plaza and the Miller Lite Gate, and along a portion of the northeast side of the building." It will be "double its current size." Packers President & CEO Mark Murphy said, "It will be easier to separate atrium businesses from other events. Fifty or 60 times a year, the atrium floor has to be shut down. We will end up with a much improved stadium." Ryman notes Curly’s Pub will be "accessible from Harlan Plaza, and the Hall of Fame will have more room for exhibits, which will be modernized." The Oneida Nation gate will get "an expanded plaza extending into the east parking lot." A new entrance will be "added at parking lot level on the east side, with an escalator providing access to the main floor of the atrium." Curly’s Pub and the Packers HOF will "close temporarily during some part of the project, probably in 2014, but the Pro Shop will remain open throughout" (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 1/9).
