Downtown Green Bay presents perfect place for Packers Heritage Plaza

GREEN BAY, WI- (WGBW) – When the Packers Heritage Plaza Monument was removed from the corner of Cherry and Washington Streets to make way for a new luxury apartment building, many were left wondering where the statues, photos, and pavers would end up.

Jeff Mirkes, Executive Director for Downtown Green Bay, has a suggestion of where they could go.

“Our organization, Downtown Green Bay, feels there is an outstanding site located in the heart of downtown,” said Mirkes. “We have been in touch with the Green Bay Packers leadership about the value of this site.”

Mirkes said Downtown Green Bay is proposing a site at the KI Convention Center on Main Street, less than 100 yards away from the City Deck for a new Packers Heritage Plaza.

“What we like about the location is, the plaza is already named the Green Bay Packers Plaza,” said Mirkes. “It’s a plaza that the Packers supported years ago. And it has not been fully developed. But we’ve been waiting for the right components to further develop this site.” 

He said because so many of the historical places connected to the Packers history are in the downtown area, the statues should stay in Downtown.

“While there is a development that motivated the statues to move to a different location, we are confident that – big picture, long term – as the Packer Trolley Tours come to see these 15 historic sites having this monument and these statues in the heart of downtown is where they belong,” Mirkes said.

Packers Heritage Trail Inc. is the owner of the statues and the monument. That organization along with Packers leadership will be the ones to make the decision on where the statues will eventually end up, but Mirkes said Downtown Green Bay is the logical location.

“We will be advocating for why this is a great location. While we’ve heard in the media that other municipalities and organizations are vying for it and have put in a word and are willing to host these statues. – Thank you very much – But, the purpose behind this whole program was the historic nature that the Green Bay Packers have with the City of Green Bay,” Mirkes enthused.