FAQs
Who currently owns the land that was once Fosdick Field?
The City Honors/Fosdick Masten Park Foundation took title to Fosdick Field from the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority in August of 2016, while the City of Buffalo owns Fosdick Street. The Foundation has an agreement to pay the Housing Authority $2,050,000 by June of 2019. In order for housing authorities to sell their properties, they must have approval of the federal government which usually asks that they get fairmarket value. The purchase price is actually under appraised value from several years ago. The appraised value of this land continues to escalate due to the fact that it is adjacent to the bustling Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus.
Who is driving the effort to restore Fosdick Field?
The City Honors/Fosdick-Masten Park Foundation supported by many endorsing organizations.
Who will operate Fosdick Field?
Eventually, the Foundation would like to deed the field to the Buffalo Public Schools to manage. However, significant permanent protections will be placed on the land to see that it can never be taken from the school system and neighborhood again. One thing we are excellent at in BPS is sharing our athletic facilities so this will be a shared use facility.
Is Fosdick Field intended to replace Wiley Field down the street or reduce BPS commitment to Wiley?
No! There are multiple schools and community athletic groups competing for time on Wiley. Full sized fields are scarce in the city and this will restore one of the historic fields belonging to the children of our city. Wiley is a stadium with seating for hundreds, lighting as well as a baseball field. It is a remarkable facility for our city. Fosdick Field will be different in nature.
What will Fosdick Field be used for?
We anticipate Fosdick Field will be used for a mix of uses including PE classes for City Honors students during the school day, Buffalo Public School atheltics competitions, and general purpose recreation for our neighborhood when not in use by the Buffalo Schools.
Why an artificial grass surrounded by natural greenspace?
The goal of the field restoration is to arrive at a balance of pastoral and practical. We arrived at this design after speaking with our neighbors about their preferences and carefully studying the history of the land. The all-weather surface will allow students to use the field non-stop without worrying about damage to turf, while the surrounding grass slopes and streetscapes will enhance the neighborhood and restore a bit of Olmsted’s vision for Masten Place.
Will there be night time athletics?
Out of consideration for our National Register building standing in front of the field as well as our surrounding neighbors, many of which are hospital facilities, we do not plan to install lighting posts.
Will there be stadium seating?
No, we do not plan to install stadium seating. The idea of this field is as much about restoring the aesthetics of our neighborhood as creating a useful physical education and athletic complex. Fans will also be able to sit and watch events on the field from the natural slopes on the north, south and east of the field during good weather.
How much will it cost to rebuild the field and parkland?
Approximately $3.2 million. (Baer and Associates schematic cost estimate)
Where will the funding come from?
It is anticipated a mix of private and public funds will be used to reconstruct the field and parkland. A capital campaign is underway. You can can contribute to paying for the purchase and construction of the field right now.
Where did the name ‘Fosdick Field’ come from?
Pop Fosdick was the first, and longtime, principal of Masten Park High School. His name was later attached to the school and colloquially to the field.
How will parent pick-up/drop-off and visitor traffic that currently takes place on Fosdick Street for the school be conducted once the full campus is restored?
Right now, we have a designed a parent vehicle land along Best Street, but conversations with the city engineers and input from the school community will take place prior to implementation of designs. Ultimately, restoring the full campus will provide the school with almost twice the amount of crub space and many more options to produce safe arrangements for students when it comes to transportation.
The Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus has been growing rapidly and acquiring nearby property. Isn't this land they will want?
No. The Medical Campus was one of the first to endorse returning this greenspace to the children and its major institutions have all endorsed the Fosdick Field Restoration Project. This project will only make the Medical Campus, the surrounding neighborhoods and the Best Street cooridor more attractive for residents, employees and visitors.
Hasn't Buffalo Just Restored a Bunch of Fields? Do we need another?
The Buffalo Public Schools and the City of Buffalo have indeed restored a number of fields. However, the number of fields available still does not come close to the demand from k-12 schools, our numerous colleges and youth athletic organizations. The Buffalo Public Schools actually have full control over two of these fields: Riverside and All-High. This is not enough for the some sixty schools that it operates. We need as much greenspace as we can for organized athletics, recreation and relaxation. We need to abandon the assumption that it is acceptable for five or six city schools to compete for use of one field while other settings have five or six fields for a school. In addition, greenspace adds value/demand to surrounding real estate, provides environmental benefits, and enhances quality of life for residents. There will be very few opportunities to restore this large an area of greenspace in the heart of our city, if ever, again. 'Green is Good!'
Have more questions for our FAQ? Email them to wkresse@buffaloschools.org