The Buffalo Bills‘ old stadium is not going out with a bang.
Instead, the 53-year-old building will be torn down piece by piece over the next year through a slow mechanical demolition process.
As demolition gets underway at the Buffalo Bills’ old stadium in Orchard Park, one thing will be missing from the process: a dramatic implosion.
Unlike some stadiums around the country that have been brought down in seconds with explosives, Highmark Stadium is expected to disappear gradually as crews dismantle the structure section by section.
The Bills confirmed demolition officially began after power to the stadium was disconnected on May 1. The overall project is expected to continue through March 2027.
Instead of an implosion, crews will use heavy equipment including excavators, bulldozers and wrecking balls to slowly tear apart the stadium.
The stadium’s size and complexity are part of the reason the process will take so long. The current stadium spans more than 900,000 square feet, seats 71,608 fans and rises about 140 feet above ground level.
The project also includes asbestos abatement, utility removal and site preparation work beyond simply tearing down the main structure.
One unusual aspect of the transition is that the old stadium will still be undergoing demolition during the Bills’ first season in new Highmark Stadium.
The new stadium’s first regular season game is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 17, when the Bills host the Detroit Lions in Week 2.
That means fans attending games at the new stadium this year will likely still see portions of the old stadium site being torn down nearby across Abbott Road.
The Bills’ old administration building near the east end zone will also remain standing after the team previously considered demolishing it as part of the project.
Highmark Stadium opened in 1973 as Rich Stadium and hosted Bills games for 53 seasons before the team played its final game there Jan. 4.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills will not implode old Highmark Stadium