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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.

V3 Thesis Abstract

“Keep up with modern facilities if you want to remain in Buffalo”. – Roger Goodell NFL Commissioner. With the lease of the current Buffalo Bills stadium coming to an end after the 2023 season, there is little doubt that a new stadium is envisioned for the Bills in the near future. The current stadium, New Era Field, opened in 1972 and is one of the oldest stadiums in the NFL still in use. While only used 8 games a season, there is a large financial gain for the local business at each game. Outside of those 8 games, it is an empty structure. This stadium represents the history of the Bills and the NFL. There has been triumph and tragic loss experienced in those seats and there would be more than one Bills fan wanting to hold onto that history as this team means so much to the community and its identity especially if the stadium were to move downtown as many of the current concepts are leaning towards. There is a special bond that the fans of Buffalo have with their team and it would be a benefit to the community of Orchard Park to both maintain that history as well as expand on it.

With the future stadium of the Bills likely being moved from the current complex in Orchard Park, the town has a conundrum of what to do with the old stadium once the main tenant moves out. Do they knock it down or can it be repurposed? With so much history for the town and the city of Buffalo, it would be a great loss to the community to lose. My thesis aims to not only save this history of Orchard Park, but also serve as a “Blueprint” for other communities that have stadiums that are empty, or going to be, to have a guideline as to the steps and process at which to repurpose the structure for the benefit of the community.

A small portion of the old stadium in buffalo (the rockpile) was kept to hold on to the history of the early days of the Buffalo Bills.

John Mellas

Week 4 Questions

Coyne

1:  While the internet has innumerous resources for architects and students alike, “some critics think that we have entered an era of shallow, superficial browsing and reading.” Being able to “search” within a pdf document helps in the short term but is it harmful in the long term? Has the advent of online resources impacted students to research less? Or, rather, absorb less. Has the online resource pool made us complacent in our research and reading?

2:  With physical books, from cover to cover, it gives you a focus on its written content. There are no external links to follow to lead us off topic. With both book and online taken into consideration, Is the internet of resources overwhelming us with information?

3: Unlike the original Enac and first iteration computers, our phones can fit in our pocket. Why do we need to study the “social and cultural impacts of computer networks on cities” when the networks and computers don’t interact with the architecture?  Should our phones interact with buildings?

Steadman

1:  “Leslie Martin and Lionel March distinguished three simple types of form: ‘pavilions’, ‘streets’, and ‘courts’.” The program that would occupy these spaces can vary, how can limiting to these three help inform “artificial science” and design?

2:  Meta Berghauser Pont and Per Haupt’s developed what was called an “ingenious and useful graphical tool called ‘Spacemate’”. In what way can students use these types of graphical tools? Are these tools developed more for the larger firms and corporations or are methods like the “Spacemate” a useful tool for the average student?

3:  Because of “spacemate’s” integration with other fields within the artificial sciences, can this method of diagram be applicable to those other fields and vice versa? If so, how can students use this information in their work?