Make the Astrodome Great Again with Transparency & Courage

In Houston, (Commentary by Ralph Bivins, Ev Konut Proje), The Astrodome can be great again. All it needs is visionary leadership that can articulate a bold Astrodome concept for the future that matches or surpasses the original vision voiced by Judge Roy Hofheinz.

Astrodome creator Roy Hofheinz’s plan for a roofed, air-conditioned stadium, was powerful. Called the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” the Astrodome was perfectly in tune with the Houston vibe of the 1960s.

The whole world knew it on April 9, 1965 at the Dome’s first game when 22 NASA astronauts threw out ceremonial first pitches and Mickey Mantle hit the first home run.

As the Astrodome remains vacant and the years roll by, it’s obvious that too many of the recent redevelopment schemes have been weird, boring or unimaginative. The worst proposal in recent years called for stripping the Dome down to a skeleton, leaving its structural bones standing like ghostly relics to celebrate the Day of the Dead or something.

Thank God, the Dome was designated as a “State Antiquities Landmark” by the Texas Historical Commission. That means (hopefully) that the stadium cannot be demolished or altered without the approval of the state commission.

The historic designation thwarts the desires voiced by a few citizens to demolish the Dome and pave over its footprint with even more surface parking.

By the way, the Dome is in sound condition. Walter P. Moore Engineers deemed the Dome to be in “remarkable” condition, as stated by the Astrodome Conservancy organization.

The cost of demolishing the Astrodome is estimated $100 million.

So Dome backers are asking again: Why spend $100 million to demolish Houston’s most famous building when it could redeveloped into greatness?

A few years ago, former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett led an effort to redevelop the Dome, which sits next to NRG Stadium, on a METRO rail-connected site about a mile south of the Texas Medical Center. The 350-acre county-owned NRG complex, located near Loop 610 at Kirby Drive, is dominated by a flat, ugly parking lot with 26,000 parking spaces that sit mostly vacant on most days.