History
Buffalo built the stadium as a Works Progress Administration project in the 1930s, on the site of a former reservoir. It opened in 1937 and went through several names before being called Civic Stadium. The All-America Football Conference Bills played there in the late 1940s.
When the AFL's Bills began play in 1960, the stadium took the War Memorial name and became their home. It hosted the 1963 Eastern Division playoff and the 1964 and 1966 AFL Championship Games, and became known as 'The Rockpile'.
The Bills played their last game there in 1972. The Bisons played there in two stints, the last ending in 1987. Filmmakers used it for The Natural in 1983. It was torn down in 1989, and a smaller athletic field built in 1992 kept pieces of the old entrances.
Why it matters: It was the Bills' first home and the site of their AFL championship era, and it is preserved on screen in The Natural.
Timeline
- October 16, 1937
The WPA-built stadium opened with a Tulane–Colgate college football game.
- 1960
The new AFL Bills began play, and the stadium took the War Memorial name.
- 1964AFL Championship[1]
The stadium hosted the 1964 AFL Championship Game and another AFL championship in 1966.
- 1972
The Bills played their last game there in 1972, against Detroit.
- 1983Filming of The Natural[1]
The stadium stood in for the fictional New York Knights' ballpark.
- May 1989
A college baseball game between Akron and Canisius was the last event.
- September 1989Demolition begins[3]
Wrecking began as part of a $5.9 million project to replace the stadium with a recreation complex.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,2,3] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Johnnie B. Wiley Amateur Athletic Sports Pavilion, a high school athletic field built in 1992[1] |
| Surviving remnants | Original entrance corners were kept and built into the Johnnie B. Wiley pavilion. The center-field flagpole was moved to Pilot Field in 1990 (per Wikipedia).[1,3] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Buffalo Bills | AFL/NFL · 1946–1949 |
|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | AFL/NFL · 1960–1972 |
| Buffalo Bisons | International League · 1961–1970 |
| Buffalo Bisons | International League · 1979–1987 |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Other names | Roesch Memorial Stadium (1937–1937); Grover Cleveland Stadium (1937–1938); Civic Stadium (1938–1960); The Rockpile |
|---|---|
| Location | 285 Dodge Street, at Jefferson Avenue and Best Street (Masten Park), Buffalo, New York[1,2,3] |
| Venue type | Stadium |
| Sports | Football, Baseball |
| Level | AAFC, AFL, NFL, Minor League, NCAA |
| Opened | October 16, 1937[1,3] |
| Last used for sports | May 1989[1,2] |
| Demolished | 1989[1,2,3] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 36,500[1,2] |
| Final capacity | 46,206[1,2] |
| Capacity notes | 36,500 (1937–1964) and 46,206 (1965–1989) per Wikipedia and the Buffalo Architecture and History site. Wikipedia's body text gives 46,306 after the 1965 expansion. |
| Construction cost | $3 million |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Owner / operator | City of Buffalo |
| Closure | The Bills left after the 1972 season and the Bisons after 1987. The city replaced the aging stadium with a smaller community sports complex. |
Documented details
Connected venues
Sources
- War Memorial Stadium (Buffalo, New York), Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, closed, coordinates, current land use, demolished, opened, remnants, teams
- Masten Park – War Memorial Stadium / Civic Stadium, Buffalo Architecture and History. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, closed, demolished
- Remembering the Rockpile (AP), Associated Press via Arizona Daily Star. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, demolished, opened, remnants, teams
Research confidence
Some facts on this page rely on a single source or are still being corroborated. Treat specific dates and figures with care. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (3)
- Wikipedia's infobox gives May 5, 1989 as the closing date, while its body text gives the final game (Akron vs Canisius) as May 6, 1989. Buffalo Architecture and History gives May 5, 1989. Recorded at month precision.
- The exact opening day (Oct 16, 1937) comes only from Wikipedia. The AP confirms 1937, and Buffalo Architecture and History confirms WPA construction in 1937.
- The AFL Bills' successor stadium (originally Rich Stadium, later Highmark Stadium) was not researched in this batch and is not listed as a relationship.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.