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WEBSITE PICS - Screenshot from an AI rendering of the Astrodome being demolished (2)
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WEBSITE PICS - Screenshot from AI rendering of the Astrodome being demolished
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WEBSITE PICS - The Astrodome seen in December, 2013 before being cleaned up by Harris County
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WEBSITE PICS - The Astrodome in 2025
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WEBSITE PICS - The Astrodome’s State Marker as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
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WEBSITE PICS - The Astrodome nearing completion in 1965
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WEBSITE PICS - The Astrodome roof, 208’-tall and 642’-wide
NO, the Astrodome has obviously not been demolished as seen in the AI rendering for this article, nor is it slated to be. It is protected by the State of Texas. Whether you like it or not, the Astrodome stands in the same realm as the Alamo, State Capitol, and Cotton Bowl, according to the Texas Historical Commission and you can thank a group of Houstonians who fought long and hard to get that designation.
A Politicized Standoff
It’s 2025 and the Astrodome “issue” has become politicized (like a lot of other things in today’s world), and it didn’t need to be (like a lot of other things in today’s world, but I digress.) The stakeholders involved, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the Texans, Harris County; they’re all focused on a new stadium deal at NRG Park, so nobody’s talking about the Astrodome and rightfully so. A new stadium deal is important for those organizations. But their passive demeanor fuels the public confusion, and has caused frustration and flat out apathy with some. Most Houstonians want the Dome to live on, not just for nostalgia, but because it’s part of who we are. It put Houston on the world stage, a structure with no precedent, over-engineered and built to last, its midcentury architecture a testament to bold design.
A Stark Wake-Up Call
To drive this home, we made a video for the Houston City Beat social channels. A startling one. It uses real photos of the Astrodome, then simulates its demolition through AI. The result? Nothing. A barren lot, maybe more parking-because that’s so Houston, right? Go check it out. The video shows what’s at stake: all the legacy of the Astrodome, gone. Forever. For those of us who want it to endure, and that’s most of us, it’s a wake-up call. Elements of apathy are settling in with people. There’s a growing generation of people who actually never experienced the Astrodome as a stadium.
Saving Houston’s Astrodome Legacy
Battling Misconceptions
Look online at posts about Houston’s Eighth Wonder of the World and you’ll find, “TEAR IT DOWN,” or “WE ALREADY VOTED TO TEAR IT DOWN,” or “IT’S AN EYESORE,” or “BLOW IT UP AND PUT MORE PARKING.” These notions are the opposite of what was being said by almost everyone six decades ago, and it’s either a sad statement of where we are today with disposal culture or just a symptom of today’s keyboard warriors on social media.
A Vision Born of Boldness
Houston was already one of the fastest-growing cities in America when the Astrodome was built in 1965, but it took a special belief that it could actually happen. There were plenty of detractors who thought spending public money on an unprecedented structure would be wasteful. A lawsuit from Houstonian Ned Gill even halted construction for a year after the historic groundbreaking with Colt .45 pistols in January of 1962. Discussions of a domed stadium had occurred in other cities long before the Astrodome. Walter O’Malley’s Brooklyn Dodgers wanted to build a dome and even considered a retractable roof, but political entanglements kept the project from moving beyond the conceptual stage. However, in Houston, the idea was germinated, envisioned, believed in, and ultimately approved through two bond issues.
Engineering the Impossible
It was in Houston that the engineering minds intensely focused on how to construct a domed structure 4.5 times larger than any previous example, which was the Pantheon in Rome from 125 AD. It was here that steelworkers began to lift specially fabricated beams into place, turning a concept into reality for the first time.
A Global First
Houston achieved what was once deemed impossible. I realize this may be difficult for some to grasp today, especially in a world where stadiums have become more luxurious than ever before. But without the Astrodome in Houston, those modern playpens wouldn’t have been built in the same way to enhance fan comfort and generate revenue for the teams that play in them.
Redefining Stadium Design
Massive span roofs (or retractable roofs), enormous electronic scoreboards, suites, restaurants, plush seating, air conditioning, artificial turf, and the ability to host a multitude of events in one space—these are conveniences we expect today. Yet they didn’t exist before the Astrodome. The Roman Colosseum had a massive velarium pulled by slaves to shield much of the arena from the blazing sun, with seating made of stone risers. The Palace of the Fans had a few exclusive “Fashion Boxes” for fans close to the field during Cincinnati Reds games in 1902. But nothing compared to what was introduced in the Astrodome in 1965. It was a column-free open space that spanned 642 feet across and stood 208 feet tall on the interior, with a 710-foot-wide exterior span. People simply couldn’t believe that such a structure could be built and remain standing. Skeptical media from New York arrived when the Astrodome opened on April 9, 1965, for an exhibition game between the Astros and Yankees. Houston pitcher Hal Woodeshick even asked his family to stay home for the first game, as it would be the first time the Astrodome would be filled with a sellout crowd of over 48,000. The Astrodome made headlines on the front pages of newspapers worldwide.
A Personal Reflection
As a historian, my thoughts drift back to the 1990 season. I was 15 years old, and the Astros celebrated 25 years of playing in the Astrodome. They brought back former players from both the Astros and the New York Yankees, who had opened the Dome with an exhibition game on April 9, 1965. The old-timers played a four-inning exhibition before the Astros' game that night. Banners and candles adorned the exterior of the Astrodome, but what I remember most is that the Astros wore a commemorative patch on their uniform sleeves to mark 25 years in the Astrodome. Today, in 2025, it’s 26 years since the Astros left for their new downtown home today known as Daikin Park. I can’t help but think about how Houston has done virtually nothing with the most identifiable landmark that put the city on the international map and helped shape it into the wonderful, culturally diverse, and innovative place it is today.
A Shifting Landscape
By the year 2000, three years had passed since the NFL's Houston Oilers left for Tennessee. Houston NFL Holdings successfully gained an expansion franchise that became the Houston Texans. Harris County, the owners of the Astrodome, initially proposed a renovation to rebuild the Dome’s interior for the new expansion NFL team and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The Rodeo moved into the Dome in 1966 and grew by leaps and bounds until they moved next door into the new NRG Stadium (then Reliant Stadium) in 2002.
Financial Hurdles
Money was still owed on the Astrodome from the original 1960s bonds that financed the world’s first domed stadium, and Harris County felt a renovation would be a great way to improve the iconic building and the complex it occupies while taking it into the future.
A New Stadium Prevails
However, the Texans did not want to renovate the Astrodome; they wanted a new building. What was constructed was the NFL’s first retractable roof stadium, built at grade level; meaning the playing field was level with the parking lot and making the new stadium appear to dwarf the Astrodome next door, which had a field 25 feet below street level. This design for the Astrodome allowed half of the arriving crowds to walk down to their seats while the other half went upward, alleviating congestion along the ramps.
A Failed Redevelopment Effort
The Astrodome Redevelopment Corporation was a private entity that entered an exclusive five-year agreement with Harris County to develop the Dome into a massive hotel in the early 2000s. Unfortunately, funding for the hotel project never materialized, and there was one glaring reason why.
Contractual Constraints
A tri-party agreement among Harris County, the Houston Texans, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo granted exclusive access and control of the sports complex during their events. While this was justified, it meant that any hotel or private entity operating in the Astrodome would be unable to function during those times. The Rodeo moves into the complex in late winter for several weeks, and the Texans have eight home games that share the same exclusivity.
Public Imagination
Meanwhile, discussions on social media ranged from film soundstages and vertical farming to ski slopes and even trying to rebuild Astroworld inside the Dome. When Ed Emmett became County Judge, he began gathering information on the Dome's situation and actively explored the logistics of renovating it into a modern county park with festival space and underground parking.
A Faded Facade
By 2013, the Dome did looked rough. Its exterior precast grill of midcentury architecture was grimy, much like our freeways, with peeling paint up top. Harris County stepped up, repainting the exterior and using an environmentally friendly cleaning solution to restore the walls to their 1965 glory, bringing back the crisp look of that iconic midcentury architecture. Most hardly noticed. The fact that no one could go inside as they walked around the Dome to events at NRG Stadium left many with the opinion that Houston’s most recognizable monument was an eyesore. The county also sold off seats, AstroTurf, old employee uniforms, and other pieces of the Dome, and those treasures ended up in Houstonians’ homes, little pieces of our history.
Clearing the Air
As you may have noticed, public talk about the Astrodome over the past 26 years since the Astros left it has been filled with logistical issues and misinformation that spreads like wildfire. It’s almost popular to say, “Here we go again,” when one sees a story about the Dome.
Correcting Misconceptions
Before we proceed further, let’s clarify a few points, because misinformation runs rampant about the Astrodome.
The Astrodome does not cost taxpayers millions of dollars per year. All of the original bonds, including renovation costs from the 1980s, have been paid off. The Dome is a fully-owned asset of Harris County.
Asbestos abatement took place in 2014 as the Dome was prepared for renovation and future use.
Harris County repainted and cleaned the Dome’s exterior in 2015 to match its original appearance from 1965, something that hadn't been done since the mid-1990s.
The revocation of the Astrodome’s Certificate of Occupancy was due to the need for a fire alarm system update, not because the building is in disrepair. The update is not financially sensible without a main tenant or current public/private use of the building, which will come when plans move forward.
Thanks to local Houstonians, the Astrodome became a State Antiquities Landmark in 2017, and received a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark marker in 2018, graciously funded by the Houston Astros. This designation means that alterations to the building cannot occur without the approval of the Texas Historical Commission, which protects structures like the Astrodome from demolition while allowing for renovations to ensure sustainability for operation.
The Astrodome is a product of over-engineering by the teams that designed it. This engineering excellence is one of the traits that earned the building the title of the Eighth Wonder of the World.
There was no vote to demolish the Astrodome. The 2013 vote to allocate public funds for renovation was merely a bond vote. Talks of demolition emerged because, at the time, there was no alternative plan.
Political Stalemate
In 2016, Emmett and the Harris County Commissioner’s Court approved $105 million for the Astrodome revitalization project, but when Lina Hidalgo was elected in 2018, those plans were put on the back burner. Hidalgo stated she lacked sufficient information on the Astrodome while criticizing the feasibility of Emmett’s multi-stage plan. Since 2018, Hidalgo has not prioritized the Astrodome, focusing instead on flood control, roads, and other evergreen issues that will always be part of the Houston landscape regardless of who is the chief executive of Harris County. In 50 years, those topics will still be on the front burner. The constituents of Harris County, owners of the Astrodome, deserve to have, at minimum, some sort of attention to the white elephant in the room.
Defending the Dome
In 2017, I was invited to testify before the State Senate Committee at the Capitol in Austin on behalf of Harris County citizens. At that time, the Dean of the Texas Senate, John Whitmire (today’s Houston Mayor), filed Senate Bill 884, which challenged Ed Emmett’s plan to renovate the Astrodome. In a clear political maneuver against a county wanting to utilize revenue for rehabilitating a fully-owned asset, Whitmire and the Committee scrutinized everything Emmett had to say. The Bill became a non-issue as it got stuck in the Texas House of Representatives and died when the session ended.
Making the Case
During this hearing, the committee asked me why we should keep the Astrodome if a place like Yankee Stadium could be torn down. My passion for the Astrodome was misconstrued by the committee as superseding knowledge of the situation. I explained that while Yankee Stadium is significant from a sports perspective, it was neither the first of its kind nor did it place New York City on the international map. Furthermore, the new Yankee Stadium was built across the street from the old one on public park land, which mandated the demolition of the old stadium to maintain the same amount of park space. I also pointed out that Paris once regarded the Eiffel Tower as outdated after the World’s Fair in 1889, but it was later repurposed as a transmission tower and became an international symbol of the city. I reminded the committee that the Astrodome has been Houston’s international symbol since its construction began.
The Path to Sustainability
So why hasn’t the Astrodome been renovated yet? It comes down to sustainability, primarily for the tenants of NRG Park, and that makes sense. The Rodeo and Texans organizations have a significant impact on our community and require long-term sustainability to continue thriving in the decades ahead. Any plan for the Astrodome must include public accessibility, revenue generation, and benefits for all stakeholders involved, including tenants and the citizens of Harris County.
A Vision for Revival
To that end, the Astrodome Conservancy has been working diligently for several years to guide this process. The Conservancy has the potential to facilitate private-public partnerships and tax incentives for such a project. It was nearly a year ago that they unveiled their “Vision: Astrodome” project that was quickly rejected by the tenants of NRG Park. But that is also due to the on-going stadium negotiations for the long-term viability of the Houston Rodeo and Houston Texans.
A Cultural Cornerstone
There’s no denying the nostalgic essence of the Astrodome. It served as Houston’s living room for decades and was the center of Houston culture and civic life. The Astrodome also represents a historic change in culture. Built during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, Houston was the site of the nation’s first MLB team in the south and the Astrodome was the first fully-integrated building built in our city. African-American voters in Houston were crucial to passing the bond issues needed to build the Astrodome. Overall, many generations literally grew up attending events at the Dome, witnessing athletes, entertainers, civic leaders, historical figures, and religious gatherings that profoundly impacted the lives of Houstonians. It can have a big impact for future generations as well.
Houston’s Opportunity
This isn’t just a building; it’s a superior structure, over-engineered and built tougher than it needed to be. As Houston has redeveloped and grown over the past two and a half decades, we look toward a future where our city is on track to become the third largest in the country sometime between 2035-2037. We should keep thinking big and find ways to connect the logistical dots to innovate and lead into the future on many levels. We are a city that has accomplished the impossible before. Reviving the Astrodome is not impossible. It’s woven into the fabric of our civic DNA, and we should be proud to have the opportunity to continue utilizing a facility that has given so much to this city. The River Oaks Theatre reopened in 2024 after a period of uncertainty. Its redevelopment should inspire hope that Houston can maintain lasting icons for generations to enjoy, rather than simply becoming a story of what once was. The Astrodome remains. It is structurally sound. The Astrodome is Houston.
A Call to Action
I look forward to the day when we can all walk into our Astrodome—a building that we, as taxpayers, own—and show the world once again just how well we do things in Houston. From the times of Jesse H. Jones, Glenn McCarthy, R.E. “Bob” Smith, Roy Hofheinz, and many others, Houston has always been about getting things done. So, let’s get this done, Houston!
