A vibrant new mural now graces the back of a well-known building in Buffalo’s Cobblestone District. Located at 109 Michigan Avenue and adjacent to Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino, the property that previously housed Club Marcella was purchased by the Seneca Gaming Corporation in early 2025.
From Blank Wall to Buffalo Spotlight
What started as a simple “fill this space” initiative, SGC’s internal Advertising Department was tasked with covering the rear of the building. Rather than going in the direction of a standard billboard or typical ad, Graphic Designer Nickey Sereluca posed, “We’ve got a wall-why not use it?” and from there, the latest addition to the Buffalo art scene was born. The mural celebrates not only Buffalo’s major sports teams but also the movement and momentum of the city’s sports community, paying homage to the city's fans and highlighting iconic local landmarks. As a part of this project, Seneca Resorts & Casinos, which holds official partnerships with the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres®, Buffalo Bandits, and Buffalo Bisons, provided support and resources to bring this vision to life.
From Sketch to Statement: Crafting Buffalo’s Sports Mural
Rendered in color block illustration style, the mural uses a digital art approach where shaded tones are layered rather than blended. The technique known as cell shading keeps the artwork visually strong while allowing for each of the mural’s hand-drawn individual images to stand out. Over the course of a month and a half, Nickey painstakingly crafted each element, referencing partnership photos and stock images to maintain clarity and impact, as well as to honor each team and their respective fan base. As Sereluca puts it, “The way each person sees their favorite sports team is different, and I wanted to develop my own vision of them while still getting input from the fans around me.”
Creating Impact Through Art: A New Hub for Fans, Visitors, and Community
Positioned along one of the city’s busiest parking lots for Key Bank Center and surrounding businesses, the mural is ideally situated for fans, tourists, and locals to gather for selfie stops and photo ops. Adding to Buffalo’s extensive public art and mural footprint, it strengthens the city’s already vibrant creative landscape, while giving residents and visitors a new visual destination. Beyond its artistic appeal, the project is yet another way the Seneca Gaming Corporation and the Seneca Nation positively impact Western New York, supporting local culture, celebrating hometown pride, and connecting people through the shared love of Buffalo sports.
Bringing Buffalo Pride to Life: Meet the Artist
Hailing from Syracuse, NY, Nickey Sereluca moved to Buffalo in 2011 to attend college and is currently a Graphic Designer for the Seneca Gaming Corporation. A lifelong artist, she began her professional career in print production. The blending of her technical expertise with her creative vision was the magical combination that proved invaluable for this project. An avid Bills fan, she learned so much more about all of the city’s teams along the way and now considers herself not just a Bills fan, but a “Buffalo sports fan,” adding, “I love the impact art has on this city, and that passion alone was why I stepped up to make this project the best it could be. My hope is that as I’m scrolling social media, I come across fans taking photos in front of the wall. I want to see them smiling with their jerseys on and posing like the mascots.”
MURAL FUN FACTS
• 125 individual hand-drawn images combine into one epic collage.
• 200 hours of illustration and design assembly brought it to life.
• At 64’ wide x 10’ high, it makes a bold statement that can be seen from multiple vantage points.
• Over 20 iconic Buffalo fan chants and slogans are woven throughout.
• Over 10 beloved local flavors are sprinkled across the design. Can you find them all?