ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — New details are emerging about what will happen to the current Highmark Stadium after the Buffalo Bills move to the new Highmark Stadium next year.
ARC Building Partners will oversee the demolition of the current stadium, which has served as the home of the Buffalo Bills for more than five decades. The project comes with emotional weight for those involved.
"It's gonna leave a little bit of a scar," said Frank Ciminelli, the president of ARC Building Partners. "We all emotionally will have to get over it. It's kind of the physical representation of what we're all going through."
ARC Building Partners has worked with the team since 2012 and will handle all decommissioning and demolition work east of Abbott Road following the final season at the current facility.
Demolition plans have been discussed for months, with significant logistical challenges to address. Ciminelli said the project involves more than tearing down the main structure.
"There's a big hole in the ground that needs to be filled up. How to tear it down safely," said Ciminelli. "All of the satellite buildings around it rely on the stadium as its infrastructure."
WATCH: New details on what will happen to current Highmark Stadium after Buffalo Bills move to new stadium
Construction partners for the new Highmark Stadium recently requested proposals from contractors interested in helping with the demolition work. The project will require substantial resources and equipment.
"It's very, very equipment-intensive work that, because you know, we're not imploding this building, we're going to chew it up, and we're going to recycle, and leverage the material from the existing building and put it back into the hole," he said.
Stadium memorabilia, including seats, will be available for purchase. A spokesperson for Erie County, which owns the building, tells me a plan is being developed to gather memorabilia from the stadium.
Physical demolition is expected next summer, with completion targeted for the second quarter of 2027. The entire process and preparation work will take approximately one year to complete.
Plans for the former stadium site remain unclear as the demolition timeline takes shape. Orchard Park’s development has become a hot topic among the organization, Orchard Park residents, and state officials. That's a topic we spoke to Bills Chief Operating Officer Pete Guelli about earlier this year.
“This is a big investment; this is the biggest construction project in the history of Buffalo and we want to make sure it goes right,” Guelli said. “I think the most important thing is when you build, let’s make sure whatever goes up around it allows us to execute and make sure the fan experience is at a high level.”
You can watch our report below and read more here.
