 War
Memorial
Stadium
Buffalo, NY
Before the construction of the Bills current home, Ralph Wilson
Stadium, the team played at War Memorial Stadium, a classic old
stadium located along Dodge Street, Best Street and Jefferson
Avenue. Construction of a stadium in the Buffalo area began in
1935 as part of President Franklin Roosevelt's WPA programs. A
single tier grandstand stadium that enclosed the field was
constructed and opened in 1938. Upon its opening it was known
Roesch Stadium, Grover Cleveland Stadium and Civic Stadium before
finally being named War Memorial Stadium in 1960. It originally
had a seating capacity of 35,000. Before the Bills arrival, the
stadium hosted several early NFL games, numerous track and racing
events and baseball games. In 1947, the All American Football
Conference awarded Buffalo a franchise that became the Bills. The
team became a member of the AFL and played its first home game as
a member of the league on September 18, 1960. The Buffalo Bills
played at War Memorial Stadium for thirteen years until they moved
into Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bills played their last game at the
stadium on December 10, 1972 against the Detroit Lions. In the
1960s the stadium saw one major addition, an upper deck on the
north side that gave the stadium a hodge podge look. This gave the
stadium a seating capacity of 46,201. War Memorial Stadium sat
basically empty after the Bills moved out until 1979 when the
Triple AAA Buffalo Bisons baseball team moved back to War Memorial
Stadium. The baseball team had played at War Memorial Stadium
at various times since 1961. Over the years, people in Buffalo gave
War Memorial Stadium the nickname, the Rockpile. Over its half of a
century of existence, the stadium saw many great players play on
its playing field. By the mid 1980s the stadium was showing its
age and it was demolished in 1988. Today it is the site of an
athletic facility. |
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FACTS & FIGURES |
-Tenant: Buffalo Bills
-Capacity: 46.201
-Surface: Grass
-Opened: September 18, 1960 (NFL)
-Closed: December 10, 1972 (NFL)
-Other Names: None
-Cost:
Unknown
-Architect:
Unknown
-Demolished: 1988
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