Where the Buffalo Roam
How the Bills are rounding up concepts for bison statues at their new stadium
EARLY IN THE PROCESS of designing the Buffalo Bills’ new Highmark Stadium, the need for a signature statement to tie the building to the team and its local culture landed on the to-do list. The $1.7 billion stadium would be fronted by a 500-foot-wide plaza, the ideal spot for an iconic, Instagram-backdrop monument. Creating the plaza’s centerpiece was the perfect task for Frank Cravotta, Buffalo Bills senior vice president of design.
“It makes it pretty easy when you’re the Buffalo Bills,” Cravotta said. “What do you put? You put an American bison.”
The Bills released a video on X in early March detailing the rough conceptual design of the bison statues, which elicited tremendous response, unsurprising for one of the most devoted, and focused, fan bases in the NFL. One comment under the Bills’ video: “With all due respect, the fans didn’t ask for the bison statue to tell an emotional, detailed story. We simply asked for ‘big ass buffaloes.’”
What may have been lost in the realm of X is that the design of the bison statues hasn’t been finalized; only a few loose requirements are set. The Bills are preparing to release a request for qualifications within the next month to find the sculptor, artist or firm that will take those starting points and create the final version of the bison statues that will sit centrally in the plaza near the stadium’s main entrance. Cravotta hopes to have the statue design partner selected by mid-July, with the bison most likely completed by spring or early summer of 2026, shortly before the stadium is scheduled to open for that fall’s NFL season.
The bison aren’t Cravotta’s first statues; he oversaw projects to design memorial pieces for the Sabres’ famous “French Connection” players and former Bills owner Ralph Wilson. In the fraught world of public statue design — who can forget the Cristiano Ronaldo foul-up? — those were well received. The bison likely will be more prominent than either.
“The interest in this is overwhelming in Buffalo,” Cravotta said. “What we need to do is do it right.”
WHO IS FRANK CRAVOTTA? ■
CRAVOTTA’S WORK ON the bison statues is part of an ambiguous but all-encompassing role that touches every aspect of the new stadium’s design, from architecture to interiors to branding. Cravotta has worked with Buffalo pro teams for 20 years, including the Sabres, the former Pegula Sports & Entertainment and now the Bills. He is basically an internal owners’ rep, an extension of the organization with design firm Populous and specifically architect and project lead (and former Buffalo Bills linebacker) Scott Radecic.
Cravotta’s role morphed over two decades from graphic design focused on print publications to eventually larger design projects like a Buffalo Sabres locker room renovation and,