If you are a Buffalo Bills fan, there is a gigantic gift for you in a new stadium. Buffalo Bills is currently building a stadium named Highmark Stadium.
The futuristic stadium will be in Orchard Park, New York, near Buffalo’s current venue.
They have decided to build an enormous Bison outside the stadium to celebrate their achievements. The first idea of building a Bison was to do something huge and cool.
They even had an idea of building a World’s Largest Bull. However, after a thorough analysis, they realized the massive bull would eventually make the stadium look tiny.
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So, as per the Bills’ Senior Vice President of Design, Frank Carvotta, the Bison will be 16 feet tall, 24 feet less than the World’s Largest Bull.
As per Carvotta, decreasing the statue’s size allows them to add emotions.
According to the recent video, the Bisons appear to be charging, which reflects Buffalo’s attacking style of play.
The video shows that even minute details like fur, face, and tail will be taken care of. The main idea of building a statue was to remind people passing by of the Buffalo Bills’ legacy.
In addition to the Bull’s figure, the video also revealed the seating arrangements in the new stadium.
High Mark Stadium VS Bills Stadium
The idea of a new stadium has been discussed since 2015, but the decision to build it was only made in 2022.
The total area of the High Mark Stadium will be 1.35 million square feet, which is 450,000 square feet larger than the Bills Stadium. Despite the increase in size, the stadium will have only 60,000 seats, 11,608 seats less than the Bills Stadium.
The good news for the fans is that the seats are expected to be 50 feet higher than the original seats.
This increase in height and depth will make the seats more comfortable, ensuring that the fans will have the experience of a lifetime.
Nevertheless, the two stadiums are similar because both will be open-air.
Total Estimated Cost Of Making Highmark Stadium
In March 2022, the funding model for Highmark Stadium was announced, which was $1.4 billion.
It was said that New York State would fund around $600 million, while Erie County would offer around $250 million.
Buffalo Bills was going to invest around $550 million, of which the NFL is supposed to provide a loan of $200 million.
But after the initial reports, the cost of building a stadium went up to $1.7 billion.
The interesting part about this funding was that $850 million came from Taxpayers’ money. It is the second biggest subsidy the government provided for building the stadium.
Highmark Stadium Construction Timeline
Soon after the arrangement of funds, Bills hired the Populous studio to make the architectural design. Populous published its first rendering in October 2022.
After some time, even the companies responsible for the site’s construction were selected.
Gilbane Building Company and Turner Construction Company began construction in early May 2023. According to them, the stadium will be ready around July 2026.
