Multiple Developers Considering Astrodome Redevelopment, Market briefs

In Houston, Dozens of developers from around the nation are making inquiries and exploring options for redeveloping Houston’s historic Astrodome, which has been sitting vacant for years.

The Astrodome, once called the “Eighth Wonder of the World”, is owned by the Harris County government.

Last month, the non-profit Astrodome Conservancy organization solicited input, ideas, feedback, and potential development concepts for the future of the Astrodome, said Beth Wiedower Jackson, Executive Director of the Astrodome Conservancy, which issued a formal “Request for Information” to the nation.

The response has been strong, Wiedower Jackson said, with more 200 responses from across the nation, from Los Angeles to New Jersey and all points in between.

A number of inquiries have been received from experienced development professionals who are asking for more information, she said. The Dome’s potential has also drawn scores of suggestions from ordinary folk with big imaginations.

Due to the heavy response, the Astrodome Conservancy has extended the deadline to respond to Sept. 25. Initially the deadline was Sept. 8.

The deadline extension “will provide additional time to respond to questions and requests for materials from interested parties and allow prospective respondents the opportunity to develop thoughtful proposals to the Astrodome Conservancy,” the organization said.

The effort’s goal is to create a public/private partnership that will lead to re-use of the Astrodome, which opened on April 9, 1965 with President Lyndon Baines Johnson and a number of NASA’s astronauts in attendance.

The Astrodome, a State of Texas Antiquities Landmark, included in the National Register of Historic Places, and Houston’s most recognizable icon, was recently named one of Time Magazine’s Top 25 Buildings and Monuments that represent America.

A study developed by the Conservancy indicated that millions in historic tax credits would be available to finance a redevelopment.

The Astrodome is located on 350 acres near the intersection of Kirby Drive and Loop 610 and all of it is owned by the people of Harris County.

In 2024 the conservancy unveiled a redevelopment plan called “Vision Astrodome” – concept detailed by Gensler, the largest architecture firm in the world. The nine-acre interior of the Dome could be reconfigured to accommodate events and entertainment, dining, offices, cultural and community spaces, a hotel and retail, the Gensler plan demonstrated.

The redevelopment would create a 10,000-seat arena in the Gensler reboot plan for the historic Astrodome. Rendering: Gensler

The redeveloped Dome would also create space for a 10,000-seat arena, that could be used for various performances, such as the annual equestrian shows by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

The Astrodome, which closed down in 2009, was judged to be in excellent condition by Walter P. Moore Engineers and it has no asbestos, the Conservancy has said.

Another advantage to redeveloping the Astrodome, is that it avoids sizable demolition costs, estimated to be $100 million, as stated by the Conservancy.

Demolition of the Astrodome, which consists of 344,137 tons of concrete and steel, is no easy lift.

Demolition equipment would burn more than 1.7 million gallons of diesel fuel just to crush the Dome.

Then hauling off the Dome’s remains would require much more. The demolition hauling transportation total from the Gensler study says 17,707 diesel trucks will be required to complete 100-mile round trips to haul off the Dome’s remains.

(Last week, the average price of diesel fuel hit a record high and it currently stands at $6.06 a gallon.)

Repurposing the Astrodome would result in sustainability benefits equivalent to eliminating 112,990 cars from the road for a year or powering 147,239 homes for 12 months, the Gensler sustainability study said.

The 10th Anniversary of the Rebirth Game

New Orleans Architect Brad McWhirter, who was a key leader in the restoration of the New Orleans Superdome following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, says the Astrodome can rise to rebirth.

Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall Aug. 29, 2005, flooded the Superdome with 4 million gallons of water. The renovation cleanup after the storm required the removal of 4,000 tons of debris. The stadium’s roof, a 10-acre roof, was totally demolished. The storm killed 1,800 people and left catastrophic damage everywhere.

For a short while, people of the city wondered if rebuilding the Superdome was worth it. Then, Louisiana’s leaders said go-for-it.