Erie County has officially handed over ownership of the new Highmark Stadium to New York State, closing the books on a long-running chapter for the county.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said the transfer marks the end of the county’s role in stadium ownership and praised the people involved in getting the deal done. “Today’s ownership transfer caps off a significant series of events that resulted in the construction of a state-of-the-art facility.
As a result, for the first time since 1973, Erie County is longer in the stadium ownership business. I thank Governor Kathy Hochul, the Erie County Stadium Corporation, Erie County Attorney Jeremy Toth and Assistant County Attorney Richard Stanton for their efforts in completing the property transfer.
The historic investment made in our community is complete and as fans of the Buffalo Bills we can all look forward to enjoying football games and other events at the brand new 60,000 seat stadium.”
The stadium itself is a massive undertaking: a $2.1 billion project, the largest construction job in Western New York history. It stretches beyond a million square feet and holds about 60,000 fans.
Although the team officially opened the building with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in June, the road to this moment stretches back more than a decade.
Fans will get their first public look at the new place on August 8, when the Bills host the “Return of the Blue & Red” practice at 7 p.m. A second practice follows on August 18 at 8:30 a.m. Both events are free, though tickets have already been claimed.
The Bills also have two home preseason games lined up at the stadium, against the Carolina Panthers on August 15 at 1 p.m. and the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 27 at 7 p.m.
Then comes the first regular-season test in the new building: Week 2 against the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football.
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