The new stadium rose up on Washington Street in downtown Buffalo at the hands of HOK / Populous. The architecture firm thought that building a ballpark that perhaps looked like a ballpark of old... harkening back to beloved old Offerman Stadium would bring that nostalgic feeling and all the rest of the old Bisons fans back to the ballpark. Keep in mind this is 1988... several years before HOK would go on to build the famed "Oriole Park @ Camden Yards" which is mistakenly credited for starting the "retro ballpark movement". In actuality, that movement started here in Buffalo with this stadium. Dubbed the "Downtown Ballpark" the stadium would debut in 1988 and when it opened its doors... it wasn't just Buffalo that was stunned to see their new baseball stadium.