Today’s posting features an aerial image of brand new City Stadium (later Lambeau Field) in its inaugural 1957 season. At less than half the capacity of the stadium today, it looks more like a college arena than the legendary “hallowed ground” it would become.
The neighborhood across Highland Avenue (upper right) — which would later be renamed Lombardi Avenue — is just getting going as a west-side housing development. When the Packers chose the location for their new playing field, it was “out in the boondocks,” as most business and shopping was done downtown, along both sides of the Fox River.
In looking closer, one can see how the lower ring of seats and the playing surface itself are below ground level — as it is today as well.
Also noticeably absent from the stadium are the team’s administration and locker room buildings. The Packers would not move their offices from downtown until 1963.