Packers' Hall of Fame is nearly complete Finishing touches are being put on the new Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame inside Lambeau Field (photo by H. Marc Larson). By Bradley D. Spychalski News-Chronicle The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame is about 97 percent complete and is set to open at the end of August, in time for the Lambeau Field grand opening celebration. Located under Lambeau Field, the stairwell near the Packers Pro Shop leads down to the newly created Hall of Fame and features black-and-white photograph wallpaper with past and present Packer greats. The Hall of Fame, located inside Lambeau Field, was included in the financial plan for the renovation of Lambeau itself. The old Hall of Fame, located across from the stadium on Oneida Street, closed at the end of 2002 so the contents could be moved. "The old Hall of Fame was run by Hall of Fame Inc., and day-to-day operations were handled by PMI (Promotional Management Inc.). Now that it was moved into Lambeau, that day-to-day management will be run by the Green Bay Packers," said Tom Murphy, archivist and board member for the Hall of Fame. The entrance to the Hall, constructed like a movie theater, will charge an admission fee to enter the Hall of Fame when completed. "This really is designed to show a lot of exhibitry," said Stuart Zadra, Lambeau Field project manager, said at an earlier tour of the hall. "There is probably twice as much display area in this space compared to the old Hall of Fame." The Hall of Fame is constructed in the form of a timeline that starts in 1919 with the induction of the Packers, all the way to the Packers of 2003. Multimedia screens roll with video footage of Packer history. "We have all new NFL film-produced documentaries of Packers history and vignettes on Packer great plays, the weather and the unique nature of the Green Bay Packer organization," Zadra said. Included in the Hall are niches designed for displays on Packers Fans, the Weather Theater, the Ice Bowl, Lombardi's Packers, Packers Kids' Camp, Packers Interactive Locker Room, Today's Packers, Green Bay Football Follies, the Lambeau Leap, the Challengers and the Commemorative Hall. Each of these exhibits includes unique, glass-cased Packer memorabilia and literature. "When you see these things in a box, it's so much different than when it's presented with the lighting in the glass cases," said Murphy. Die cast cut-out vignettes depict life-like Packer players in a recreated Ice Bowl scene with quarterback Bart Starr at the helm, a Lambeau Leap scene with safety LeRoy Butler landing in the stands and the group of Kabeer Gbaja-Bamila, Donald Driver and Gilbert Brown riding the small bicycles of young fans. The exhibits eventually lead to the glass doors of the Commemorative Hall, which honors players inducted into the Packer Hall of Fame and houses the three Lombardi trophies. "With all the lighting and the televisions screens surrounding the room, it is so awe-inspiring," said Mark Schiefelbein, Packers liaison to the Hall of Fame and Packers director of administrative affairs. "It almost gives the feeling of being in a church or cathedral."