GREEN BAY, Wis. — It’s a centennial celebration for a famous building in Green Bay. Hotel Northland opened its doors on March 21, 1924. 

It served as the league’s headquarters when Green Bay hosted the NFL championship game, and it also catered to many famous people like first lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

What You Need To Know

  • Hotel Northland in Green Bay is celebrating 100 years
  • On March 21, 1924, Hotel Northland celebrated its opening by hosting an inaugural ball for hundreds of Green Bay citizens and trainloads of out-of-town visitors

  • Hotel Northland was designed by prominent Milwaukee architect Herbert W. Tullgren

  • The Hotel Northland hosted a National Football League (NFL) conference in 1927 and served as NFL headquarters during three Green Bay-hosted championships in 1961, 1965 and 1967

Those connected to Hotel Northland said this building is filled with more than just elegance. The landmark holds nostalgia and beloved memories.

You know you’re walking into history when you see a bronze replica of Vince Lombardi’s fedora by Hotel Northland’s front staircase.

Victoria Parmentier is a former employee of the hotel. She said being back is a walk down memory lane.

“It’s wonderful to see the new look, from when I worked here, but it was fun working here too,” Parmentier said.

Parmentier’s history with Hotel Northland began in 1972. After graduating from high school, she started working behind the front desk.

In the 1970s, visiting NFL teams stayed at the hotel. Parmentier said the coaches had strict player curfews.

“They couldn’t go out after 11 o’clock and their coach would go room to room to make sure they were all in their rooms,” Parmentier said.

Victoria didn’t just work at the hotel, she lived here. 

In 1974, Victoria was crowned Miss Green Bay, and the hotel hosted the event.

Parmentier said even though she worked in the cocktail bar, she couldn’t take part in the pageant afterparty.

“It got to be midnight, and I had to go up to my room because I wasn’t a grown-up,” Parmentier said.

The hotel’s Director of Operations, Brandon Flitter, said the Crystal Ballroom hosted Vince Lombardi’s first press conference.

It also hosted fancy dinners for politicians like John and Robert Kennedy, Richard Nixon and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

It was the golden days of old that Flitter said attracted him to the hotel.

“I was looking for a hotel that made an impact in the community, one that had a lot of history and a lot of charm to it. It really fit me as a person,” Flitter said. 

Decades after opening, Flitter said this hotel underwent some major changes.

“It was a lower-income senior center into the 80s. The property was closed for a number of years,” said Flitter.

This building fell in and out of disrepair in the 70s, 80s and 90s. 

By 1981, the former beauty queen was now president of RE Management, a Green Bay-based company specializing in affordable housing for seniors and people with disabilities. 

Parmentier was instrumental in helping to keep this landmark afloat until it was restored and reopened in 2019. 

“The work that’s been done in here is beautiful,” Parmentier said. "It’s just beautiful."

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