Ever since the Buffalo Bills announced their plans for a new stadium, fans have been wondering how the team will incorporate a standing bison into the new facility.
As it turns out, there won’t be just one bison, but rather three gigantic Bills bison statues that will be featured at Highmark Stadium’s Family Circle, according to renderings of the bison released by the Bills on Tuesday.
According to Frank Cravotta, the Bills senior vice president of design and stadium operations, the three stainless
steel bison statues — a bull, a cow, and a calf — were modeled after the America bison and symbolize family. The bison are meant to represent “the strength and resilience of the Buffalo community, embodying the spirit that defines both the team and the city,” according to the official news release on the Bills website.
“This portion of the project has taken several years to come together. Right from the start, we wanted to place American Bisons in front of our stadium. It’s taken a lot of hard work and coordination; we’re thrilled with the result,” Cravotta said.
Per the team’s news release, the bull, which weighs approximately 23,000 pounds, will stand 27 feet off the ground and will be 29 feet long. The cow will stand 22 feet tall and 23 feet long, while the calf, which represents the next generation of Bills fans, will stand 12 feet tall and measure 13 feet long.
When the sun sets, the statues will utilize five programmable lighting systems, while the bull and the cow will be able to have smoke coming out of their nostrils in a nod to the cold, harsh winters in Western New York.
“I didn’t expect just how complex the engineering and fabrication would be for these statues. The sculptures are very large and one-of-a-kind,” Cravotta told the Bills website.
The bison are expected to be in place and ready to greet fans before the official opening of the new Highmark Stadium later this year. The standing bison will be featured in Family Circle, which is meant to serve as an initial welcome site, the front door to the new stadium.
The Family Circle plaza will be created in the shape of an American bison hoof print, tying together the common theme of the area that will greet fans as they prepare to enter the stadium.
According to reporting from ESPN Buffalo Bills beat reporter Alaina Getzenberg, Family Circle will also commemorate each member of the team’s wall of honor.
