Offermann Stadium

Interactive map of Offermann Stadium
Former names	Bison Stadium (1924–1934)
Address	1515 Michigan Ave.
Location	Buffalo,New York
Coordinates	42°54′54″N78°51′43″W / 42.915114°N 78.862009°W /42.915114; -78.862009
Owner	Sportservice
Capacity	15,012
Record attendance	Overall: 25,000 Alf Landon rally, 8/28/1936 Sports: 23,386 Bisons vs.Red Wings, 9/22/1933
Field size	Left field: 321 ft (98 m) Left-center field: 346 ft (105 m) Center field: 400 ft (120 m) Right-center field: 366 ft (112 m) Right field: 297 ft (91 m) Backstop: 21 ft (6.4 m)
Surface	Natural grass
Construction
Broke ground	1923
Opened	April 30, 1924
Closed	September 17, 1960
Demolished	1961
Construction cost	US$265,000 ($4.86 million in 2024 dollars[1])
Tenants
Buffalo Bisons (IL) 1924–1960 Buffalo Bisons/Rangers (NFL) 1924–1929 Indianapolis Clowns (NAL) 1951–1955

Offermann Stadium was an outdoorbaseball andfootballstadium inBuffalo, New York. Opened in 1924 asBison Stadium, it was home to theBuffalo Bisons (IL),Buffalo Bisons/Rangers (NFL) andIndianapolis Clowns (NAL).

The stadium hosted theLittle World Series (1927) and theJunior World Series (1933, 1936 and 1957). The venue also hosted summerboxing cards, most famously the 1930 bout between futureInternational Boxing Hall of Fame membersJimmy Slattery andMaxie Rosenbloom.

The venue was demolished in 1961 and is now the site ofBuffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts.

Bison Stadium was built on the former site ofBuffalo Baseball Park for $265,000.^[2][3] The wooden grandstands from the prior venue, designed by famed architectLouise Blanchard Bethune, were preserved and incorporated into the new steel and concrete facility.

The ballpark was built in the middle of a residential neighborhood on a rectangular block, and was known as ahitter's park because of its small dimensions.

National Baseball Hall of Fame memberTommy Lasorda described how the small dimensions of the venue were unfavorable to pitchers like himself in a May 1997 interview:

I used to curse Offermann Stadium. I'd look over my shoulder and the left-field wall was right behind me.^[4]

Homeowners on Masten Avenue behind left field and Woodlawn Avenue behind right field erected "bootleg bleachers" on their rooftops, charging fans admission to watch games.^[5]

The first event at the venue was a baseball game between theBuffalo Bisons andBaltimore Orioles on April 30, 1924.^[6] John H. Meahl, commissioner of the Buffalo Parks Department, threw out theceremonial first pitch.

The 1927 Bisons were recognized as one ofThe National Baseball Association's top 100 minor league teams of all time after amassing a 112–56 record, winning theInternational League championship, and appearing in theLittle World Series.^[7]

TheBuffalo Bisons/Rangers of theNational Football League called the stadium home from 1924 to 1927, and again in 1929 before ceasing operations.

During a June 1930boxing card at the venue, reigningNBA Light Heavyweight ChampionMaxie Rosenbloom upsetJimmy Slattery to become undisputed champion, winning theNYSAC Light Heavyweight Title and vacantThe Ring Light Heavyweight Title.^[8]

The firstnight game inInternational League history took place at the venue in July 1930, and saw theMontreal Royals defeat the Buffalo Bisons 5–4.^[9]

The Buffalo Bisons defeated theRochester Red Wings in Game 6 of their best-of-seven series to win theInternational League championship before a record crowd of 23,386 at the venue in September 1933.^[10]

The venue was renamed to Offermann Stadium in 1935 following the death of Bisons owner Frank J. Offermann.^[11]

Alf Landon drew a record crowd of 25,000 for apolitical rally in August 1936 to promote his candidacy in the1936 United States presidential election.^[12]

Ollie Carnegie of the Buffalo Bisons led theInternational League in home runs in 1938 and 1939, and was named league MVP for the 1938 season.^[13]

TheIndianapolis Clowns of theNegro American League played at Offermann Stadium from 1951 to 1955.Hank Aaron was discovered while playing for the Clowns in 1952, and his contract was bought out by theBoston Braves for $10,000.^[14]Toni Stone signed with the Clowns in 1953 for $12,000, becoming the first woman to sign a professional baseball contract.^[15]

Luke Easter of the Bisons became the first player to hit a home run over the venue's center field scoreboard on June 14, 1957.^[16] The Bisons would win theInternational League championship that season, and Easter was named league MVP.

The inaugural Buffalo Jazz Festival was held at the venue over two nights in August 1960, headlined byLouis Armstrong,Duke Ellington,Dave Brubeck andCount Basie.^[17][18]

The venue's final event was anInternational League playoff game between the Buffalo Bisons andToronto Maple Leafs on September 17, 1960. The Bisons lost Game 4 of their best-of-seven series and were eliminated from the playoffs.^[19]

In January 1960, the City of Buffalo condemned Offermann Stadium and ordered its demolition.^[20][21] The stadium was demolished in 1961. Woodlawn Junior High School was built in its place, later becomingBuffalo Traditional School in 1977 andBuffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts in 2007.

The closure left Buffalo with only one large stadium,Civic Stadium, which at the time had been operating as an auto racetrack. A hasty renovation removed the stadium's racetrack and refit the stadium for the Bisons baseball team as well as the incomingBuffalo Bills of theAmerican Football League; with the renovations, the venue became War Memorial Stadium and hosted the Bills until 1972 and the Bisons until 1970 (and again from 1979 untilPilot Field was finished in 1988).

In August 2012, a historical marker was placed at the school in remembrance of the site's 72-year history of hostingprofessional baseball by Buffalo Sports Historian John Boutet of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.^[22]

• Offermann Stadium /Bison Stadium onBoxRec

• 1924 establishments in New York (state)
• 1961 disestablishments in New York (state)
• American football venues in New York (state)
• Boxing venues in New York (state)
• Buffalo (1920s NFL teams)
• Buildings and structures demolished in 1961
• Defunct baseball venues in the United States
• Defunct minor league baseball venues
• Defunct NFL venues
• Demolished music venues in the United States
• Demolished sports venues in New York (state)
• Defunct Negro league baseball venues
• Sports venues completed in 1924
• Sports venues demolished in 1961
• Sports venues in Buffalo, New York

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