V4 Thesis Abstract

The Buffalo Bills are a defining icon for the Buffalo area. Originally located in Downtown Buffalo in War Memorial Stadium that was affectionately called “the rockpile” they moved to their current stadium, New Era Field, in 1974 when construction was completed. The Bills have been playing in the same stadium for the past 42 years making New Era Field the oldest stadium still in use in the NFL. “Keep up with modern facilities if you want to remain in Buffalo”. – Roger Goodell NFL Commissioner. On several occasions, Roger Goodell has made a comment like this. When the Bills founding owner, Ralph Wilson Jr. died in 2013, there was speculation that the team would move to a city with better facilities. However, Terry Pegula, who had just purchased Buffalo’s NHL team the Sabres saved the day for Buffalonians. Now that the team had a new owner, the talk shifted from “will the Bills leave Buffalo?” To “where in Buffalo will the new stadium be built?” Along with a new owner that has deep pockets, the lease for the current stadium ends in 2023 and it is very unlikely that the lease will be renewed. What happens to the stadium once the Bills move out is the area of study that I will be focusing on.

One might argue that the stadium in its current state is already a public building. However, it is only public on certain days of the year. As such, the intentions of this project are to give the stadium back to the people of Buffalo by repurposing the structure and grounds into a multi-purpose facility that can be accessed by the general public more than once a week during Football season. I will be partnering with several public officials in the Orchard Park area that can add insight to the development of my project in regards to what the area needs.  WIth the lease for the stadium ending soon, the research that I do now in collaboration with these public officials will hopefully be informative to what the plan is for the stadium once a new one is built.

The end result that I will be designing for is a place of public use that also maintains the historic and local cultural value that the Bills have brought to the City of Buffalo. WIth civic and public facilities spread out, repurposing of the stadium into a civic center would serve as a hub for the surrounding facilities enabling the growth of the community and preserving of the Bills history.