ACor58 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Here is a visual of how Lambeau changed, and also how the Ralph might change as well: The New Lambeau The New Ralph Larger view of new Ralph: Here Good start - but if they do all of that and don't add a second Jumbotron I am going to be pissed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got_Wood Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 I remember seeing this a few years ago ,and I like the conceptual design, especially by adding brick to make it have a solid, retro look. They did that with Camden Yards and PETCO Park and it has the nostalgia of old time sports. However I doubt they move the field house next to the stadium. That would exceed the amount of money they are talking about spending and I believe they are happy with that where it is. How much did Green Bay spend on their overhaul? I know KC spent about $300 million. Why not go all in and really make it nice? This is from their website: "The most recent addition at Lambeau was a $295 million project that began in 2001 to add 12,032 seats as well as the popular atrium, an expanded Pro Shop and several new food and entertainment options. The project included a half-cent county sales tax to raise $160 million and made 4,000 tickets per game available to county residents only beginning in 2003." I think the field house is fine where it is. What Green Bay added was an atrium that housed restaurants, pubs, a pro shop, stadium tours, team historical gear, jerseys and photos (somewhat like a museum of team history), etc. That would be really cool at the Ralph, and would generate a ton of revenue during the season AND the offseason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I don't know if using the blueprint from Lambeau Field will help in upgrading RWS. It might confuse the workers. They need to work off of the original Rich Stadium blueprint. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwight in philly Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I don't know if using the blueprint from Lambeau Field will help in upgrading RWS. It might confuse the workers. They need to work off of the original Rich Stadium blueprint. GO BILLS!!! that is kinda of clever.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endless Ike Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Nobody's coming to the magical bills history tour because the bills have been a joke for 40 of their 50 years...maybe when the bills have won 13 league championships in 6 different decades instead of 2 championships in a single decade we can talk... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erynthered Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Nobody's coming to the magical bills history tour because the bills have been a joke for 40 of their 50 years...maybe when the bills have won 13 league championships in 6 different decades instead of 2 championships in a single decade we can talk... Then why even visit the HOF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got_Wood Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 Nobody's coming to the magical bills history tour because the bills have been a joke for 40 of their 50 years...maybe when the bills have won 13 league championships in 6 different decades instead of 2 championships in a single decade we can talk... Jeeze, maybe they should put you in the marketing department It's not about having a history of winning it all. It's about a history of a team that fans can relate to. The fabric of what brought them to where they are today. I don't know about you, but that sounds really cool to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Nobody's coming to the magical bills history tour because the bills have been a joke for 40 of their 50 years...maybe when the bills have won 13 league championships in 6 different decades instead of 2 championships in a single decade we can talk... Not all history is glorified history and glorified history isn't the only history worth visiting. You're dismissing the huge element of nostalgia that hundreds of thousands of Bills fans have grown up with since their inception. If you choose not to visit a Bills Hall of Fame then by all means, don't. I suspect there are legions of fans that will because it's just such a part of them. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwight in philly Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Nobody's coming to the magical bills history tour because the bills have been a joke for 40 of their 50 years...maybe when the bills have won 13 league championships in 6 different decades instead of 2 championships in a single decade we can talk... please!, why the negativity?, i am a BUFFALO BILLS fan, not a packers fan. the essence of this thread is about a fair comparison of football venues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packfntk Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Hey guys, Packer fan here from GB. The Packers added 10,000 seats to Lambeau when they did the renovation as well. The atrium is amazing. It makes it a year round facility. The Packer HOF was a block away from the stadium, now it is downstairs through the atrium. It is pretty cool, if you ever come to Lambeau make sure and do it. The Packers do stadium tours year round, except for game days of course. The tours are every 45 minutes to an hour and are normally packed. The Cheifs actually came to Lambeau and made their blueprint off of Lambeau. They took many of the same ideas and I can't wait to see Arrowhead, we went there in 2007 before they did it. I have never been to the Ralph before, but want to visit. Not sure about the poster that said it has the same hora as Lambeau, I go to every game and talk to opposing teams fans about it and they all say they have never fealt or seen anything like it. It is a special trip. We are coming to Buffalo in 2014 and can't wait! But Qualcomm is in 2 weeks. I hear it is kind of a dump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Nobody's coming to the magical bills history tour because the bills have been a joke for 40 of their 50 years...maybe when the bills have won 13 league championships in 6 different decades instead of 2 championships in a single decade we can talk... I'd bet you would call yourself a realist… but my reality views your post as a defeatist and negative one. So because the BIlls haven't won a Super Bowl, we should slink around in shame and never celebrate our history? We are not worthy? Does that go for the 4 teams which have never even made a Super Bowl appearance? Does that also go for all 10 teams which have appeared in but never won a Super Bowl? Does that go for the 5 additional teams whose most recent championship of any kind predates 1965? So you're saying virtually half the league has no basis upon which to celebrate its history? Thanks for that, Ike. Not all history is glorified history and glorified history isn't the only history worth visiting. You're dismissing the huge element of nostalgia that hundreds of thousands of Bills fans have grown up with since their inception. If you choose not to visit a Bills Hall of Fame then by all means, don't. I suspect there are legions of fans that will because it's just such a part of them. GO BILLS!!! Right on, K-9. please!, why the negativity?, i am a BUFFALO BILLS fan, not a packers fan. the essence of this thread is about a fair comparison of football venues. You and K-9 are correct, Dwight. If they build it, I will come and I bet MANY others would too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwight in philly Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Hey guys, Packer fan here from GB. The Packers added 10,000 seats to Lambeau when they did the renovation as well. The atrium is amazing. It makes it a year round facility. The Packer HOF was a block away from the stadium, now it is downstairs through the atrium. It is pretty cool, if you ever come to Lambeau make sure and do it. The Packers do stadium tours year round, except for game days of course. The tours are every 45 minutes to an hour and are normally packed. The Cheifs actually came to Lambeau and made their blueprint off of Lambeau. They took many of the same ideas and I can't wait to see Arrowhead, we went there in 2007 before they did it. I have never been to the Ralph before, but want to visit. Not sure about the poster that said it has the same hora as Lambeau, I go to every game and talk to opposing teams fans about it and they all say they have never fealt or seen anything like it. It is a special trip. We are coming to Buffalo in 2014 and can't wait! But Qualcomm is in 2 weeks. I hear it is kind of a dump. i am the one that mentioned lambeau and the ralph possibly sharing the same aura. i concede that lambeau is a mecca, no doubt, my point was that was that we(bills fans) should emulate what the fine folks in green bay did. just build on the tradition that we have, which is considerable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 They need to make the store bigger. It's packed on game days. It could easily be 4 times bigger than it is now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Ray Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I posted this a year or two ago as well, but thought the timing was good to post this again: Go the route of the Packers when they upgraded Lambeau Field. Take the existing stadium, and make it a place where people visit in the offseason. Make it a theme park / museum of sorts. A statue of Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi stand outside the stadium like ghosts as visitors frequent the stadium year round. The stadium tours, Packers team gear stores, restaurants, and bars in the new Field House attached to the stadium make it a place you can bring your family for a day of fun. This would increase the revenue the stadium brings in by a big number. Quote from Lambeau Field website: Quote "Revenue generated from the Packers Pro Shop, Packers Hall of Fame, Curly's Pub, the Atrium eateries and other restaurants, the stadium club and special events, as well as other Atrium businesses is essential to the Packers' long-term survival. In just the first year, with only the new Pro Shop open and several gate sponsorships sold, the Packers' NFL revenue ranking for the fiscal year 2002-03 jumped to 10th, up from 20th the prior year." Here is a visual of how Lambeau changed, and also how the Ralph might change as well: The New Lambeau The New Ralph Larger view of new Ralph: Here FWIW, i totally agree with you and actually had the same idea (but kept it to myself) after visiting Lambeau last year for the Pack-Bills game. The time spent at their HOF and the Atrium was amazing and really nicely blended the tradition of the old stadium with the new upgrades. i think something like that at the Ralph, rather than building a mega stadium like Dallas or the new Meadowlands (MetLife) would be the way to go in WNY. And for the record, i would DEFINITELY go to a Bills HOF! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endless Ike Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 (edited) The reason the packers atrium thing is a YEAR ROUND success is because it is attractive to non-packer fans...largely the same reason that Wrigley and Fenway have such an attraction even to non-cubs and non-sox fans. It's about the history of THE GAME, not one franchise. Nobody but bills fans is going to give a crap about Ralph Wilson Stadium. Take off your fan goggles, guys. Let's be honest, even amongst Bills fans who's going to drive out to Orchard Park in the off-season to buy Tchotchkes from the team store and look at a fancy atrium and an empty stadium more than once? Maybe people who already live out there? I know I sure wouldn't. And for the record, every team has the right to celebrate their history, but its a joke to think that every team or most teams should spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build a temple to their mediocrity next to their stadium. Most teams are historically mediocre, by definition. The Bills are one of them. Edited October 21, 2011 by Endless Ike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xsoldier54 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 It is revered because......it's the home of the Green Bay Packers--one of the most revered teams in the League. And it's one of the oldest stadiums and considered by many to be the cradle of modern popular football--due the historical success of the Packers. Does "Ralph Wilson Stadium" sound anything like that? It is amazing to me how little people on this forum respect their own team. The fact is that the Buffalo Bills won two AFL championships. After the merger, the team has won 4 conference championships. That would be 4 in a row. When was the last time the Green Bay Packers won 4 straight NFC championships? Yes they have won the Super Bowl and we have not, but we have a pretty storied history as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTW2012 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 The reason the packers atrium thing is a YEAR ROUND success is because it is attractive to non-packer fans...largely the same reason that Wrigley and Fenway have such an attraction even to non-cubs and non-sox fans. It's about the history of THE GAME, not one franchise. Nobody but bills fans is going to give a crap about Ralph Wilson Stadium. Take off your fan goggles, guys. Let's be honest, even amongst Bills fans who's going to drive out to Orchard Park in the off-season to buy Tchotchkes from the team store and look at a fancy atrium and an empty stadium more than once? Maybe people who already live out there? I know I sure wouldn't. And for the record, every team has the right to celebrate their history, but its a joke to think that every team or most teams should spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build a temple to their mediocrity next to their stadium. Most teams are historically mediocre, by definition. The Bills are one of them. Exactly. Maybe if the stadium was downtown it would have some ability to attract some visitors in the offseason. In Orchard Park, no one outside of Bills fans would go there, and even then you'd get very few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Horseheads Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 They should put a casino, in the stadium. Interesting idea but of course the NFL would never allow that in the stadium. BUT, there must be a arrow or something buried under that parking lot to get the Seneca's to build out there and fund the renovations for the right to. Not like any property taxes would be lost because Erie County and NYS are the landowners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaaadThingsMan Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Yeah we could have statues of Kay Stephenson, Bullough, Mularkey, Williams and Jauron What an idiot. There's plenty of viable options without bein a negative idiot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAWNDO Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Actually building an adjacent atrium is a great idea. Imagine a Bills Themed Sports Bar or Restaurant. A larger Bills Store and a Bills HOF. Allow stadium tours to be held as well. Would it be as popular as Lambeau? No, but how many ex-WNYers when they come back for a visit would like to be able to have a Bills experience year round? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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