The Abandoned Astrodome And Its Future

[hbg.50]

This thread is almost 20 years old and looking at some of the original posts I think we’ve come full circle.  It makes sense to me to refurbish the Astrodome into a domed soccer stadium.  Take the paint off the glass ceiling tiles and grow natural grass.  Reduce the seating to around 35,000.  Add a hotel and entertainment complex.

While I love the look of Dynamo Stadium the fact is it’s a sauna and Dynamo attendance is suffering as a result of the heat and humidity.  With NHHP that area could use the space or the stadium could be used by TSU or HISD.  That’s my preferred option #1.

My preferred option #2 is to refurbish the Astrodome into exhibition space for the Texas bi-centennial celebration in 2036.  Dallas (literally) bought the first Texas centennial celebration and now has Fair Park as a reminder.  Houston can’t let them steal the thunder of the Battle of San Jacinto again!  We just can’t.

I know nothing will be done while Lina Hidalgo is County Commissioner.  I really hope the next commissioner can finally do something transformative with the Astrodome.  If not, I’m praying someone from the private sector will step up.

[Ross]

9 hours ago, hbg.50 said:

This thread is almost 20 years old and looking at some of the original posts I think we’ve come full circle.  It makes sense to me to refurbish the Astrodome into a domed soccer stadium.  Take the paint off the glass ceiling tiles and grow natural grass.  Reduce the seating to around 35,000.  Add a hotel and entertainment complex.

While I love the look of Dynamo Stadium the fact is it’s a sauna and Dynamo attendance is suffering as a result of the heat and humidity.  With NHHP that area could use the space or the stadium could be used by TSU or HISD.  That’s my preferred option #1.

My preferred option #2 is to refurbish the Astrodome into exhibition space for the Texas bi-centennial celebration in 2036.  Dallas (literally) bought the first Texas centennial celebration and now has Fair Park as a reminder.  Houston can’t let them steal the thunder of the Battle of San Jacinto again!  We just can’t.

I know nothing will be done while Lina Hidalgo is County Commissioner.  I really hope the next commissioner can finally do something transformative with the Astrodome.  If not, I’m praying someone from the private sector will step up.

The only thing transformative I want to see with the Astrodome is it being demolished. There is no one with the power or money to do anything else.

[Houston19514]

4 hours ago, Ross said:

The only thing transformative I want to see with the Astrodome is it being demolished. There is no one with the power or money to do anything else.

It's not power and money that are lacking. It's leadership.

[Reefmonkey]

On 7/15/2024 at 5:21 PM, editor said:

Because it's much closer to where the bulk of the tourists are?  

If it was easy and simple for out-of-towners to get to the Space Center, then there wouldn't be companies selling package tours with bus pickups at the big hotels to take people down to NASA.  

Tourists took two million rides on Metro trains to the rodeo last year.  Seems to me like they understand how to do that.

You do realize the whole reason for Space Center Houston to exist in the first place is as a visitor's center for Johnson Space Center, right? People don't go just to see artifacts in glass cases that they could see in any number of science museums around the country. They go to be at the facility that trained the astronauts that walked on the moon, that walk in space now. They take the tram tour and get to go into the actual astronaut training facility, they get to go into the historic mission control room that received the words "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

Moving Space Center Houston away from Johnson Space Center would rip it away from the historical context that is the point of going there in the first place. It's as asinine as suggesting that Kennedy Space Center's visitor center be moved to Orlando so it's easier for the tourists coming for Disney World and Universal to go there. It's probably the most soulless suggestion I've ever seen made on this site in the name of promoting tourism in Houston. 

Let me stress again, the main purpose of Space Center Houston is to be the visitors center for Johnson Space Center. If JSC's remoteness to downtown means that Space Center Houston gets fewer visitors as a result, that's perfectly acceptable. But to put things in perspective, the legendary Alamo, in the heart of downtown San Antonio, gets 2.5 million visitors a year, so Space Center Houston's 1.2 million a year is still pretty respectable for a visitor center for a government facility 30 miles away from the nearest major city center. It's roughly the same traffic that Kennedy Space Center in Florida gets.

Edited July 17 by Reefmonkey

[august948]

17 hours ago, Ross said:

The only thing transformative I want to see with the Astrodome is it being demolished. There is no one with the power or money to do anything else.

The way things are going the dome will sit there until sometime in the far future when it deteriorates to the point that they have to demolish it.

[Reefmonkey]

On 4/20/2024 at 6:53 PM, ehtx1 said:

I would love to see the Astrodome turned into a new and much bigger Space Center Houston. Since we didn't get any of the retired Space shuttles, we could build mock-ups/replicas and memorials dedicated to both Challenger and Columbia. IIMAX Theater, Science display, etc. All the space vehicles at NASA now could easily fit into the dome. The new Space X vehicles when they retire. A huge visual screen like the "globe" in Vegas, that would be an amazing tribute.

 

Yep, NO shuttles for Houston, at least the ones that were actually in service and went to space. Still mad about that. Discovery went to Viginia at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Endeavor went to the California Science Museum, and Atlantis went to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Thats why I say let's rebuild Challenger and Columbia and display them as memorials for our lost patriots at the Astrodome / (New Space Center Houston.)

 

 

Besides the soullessness of moving Space Center Houston, the visitors center for Johnson Space Center, 30 miles away from JSC, which would mean that Space Center Houston visitors wouldn't be able to take the tram ride, visit the actual astronaut training facility and mission control, let's think through the logistics of putting the Saturn V, Gemini-Titan, Mercury-Redstone, 747 with Enterprise, plus two full-size space shuttle orbiter mockups inside the Astrodome.

The playing field of the Astrodome has a diameter of 516 feet, giving it an area of 209,000 square feet. Consider that the Saturn V alone is 363 feet tall in launch configuration, and as currently displayed on its side with spaces in between stages to allow visitors to see the engines on each stage, it's considerably longer than that. It would have to be positioned pretty close to the maximum chord length of the diameter of the playing area. And it and all the other spacecraft we're talking about displaying inside the dome have a combined display footprint of nearly 77,000 square feet. And that's if they were all bunched up together, which would be a far from ideal way to display them.

So even bunched up together, the air/spacecraft would take up 77,000 out of 209,000 square feet of level ground inside the dome. The current Space Center Houston building is 250,000 square feet. So even before you've moved the air/spacecraft in, you've LOST 16% of your useable square footage in your "new and much bigger Space Center Houston" compared to the current one. Bring in all the air/spacecraft, you've lost 47%, even with the craft bunched up together. Spread them out so that visitors can actually see and appreciate them, and the usable area for all the current indoor Space Center Houston exhibits in your "much bigger Space Center Houston" would be considerably LESS THAN HALF that of the current Space Center Houston facilities.

The only option would be to tear out all the concrete structure for the seating areas and bring in fill material to create one big level surface inside the dome, that would bring level, useable floorspace to almost 400,000 square feet. But all the Astrodome preservationists have argued that the cost of bringing in fill material to fill in the depression is what would make demolishing the Astrodome so prohibitively expensive that it's better just to keep it even unused. And demolishing the concrete seats and bringing in all that fill while still keeping the outer Dome structure intact would make that process several times more expensive than it would cost as part of a total demolition.

And even if you were either okay with a significantly smaller Space Center Houston exhibit space than currently exists, or could surmount the interior demolition and fill costs, tell me, how do you get a 747 inside the Astrodome? Show me where there is a doorway into the Astrodome that is at least 200 feet wide by 70 feet tall, which is how big it would have to be to get a 747 through it. That's a doorway nearly a quarter of the outer circumference of the Astrodome in width Oh, and if you did go with the "cheaper" option of not demoing and backfilling, you'd still have to demo a 200 foot wide section of concrete seating for the 747 to get through, PLUS your hole in your outer wall would have to be significantly higher than  if you went with the cheaper option of not backfilling the depression in order to accommodate the tail tipping up as you ease the 747 down the ramp. Oh, did I forget to mention you'd have to build a temporary ramp inside the Astrodome that would be 200 feet wide and at least 100 feet long (probably longer to keep the grade shallow enough), and strong enough to support a 187 ton aircraft?

Edited July 18 by Reefmonkey

[Reefmonkey]

On 7/16/2024 at 10:11 PM, hbg.50 said:

This thread is almost 20 years old and looking at some of the original posts I think we’ve come full circle.  It makes sense to me to refurbish the Astrodome into a domed soccer stadium.  Take the paint off the glass ceiling tiles and grow natural grass.  Reduce the seating to around 35,000.  Add a hotel and entertainment complex.

While I love the look of Dynamo Stadium the fact is it’s a sauna and Dynamo attendance is suffering as a result of the heat and humidity.  With NHHP that area could use the space or the stadium could be used by TSU or HISD.  That’s my preferred option #1.

My preferred option #2 is to refurbish the Astrodome into exhibition space for the Texas bi-centennial celebration in 2036.  Dallas (literally) bought the first Texas centennial celebration and now has Fair Park as a reminder.  Houston can’t let them steal the thunder of the Battle of San Jacinto again!  We just can’t.

I know nothing will be done while Lina Hidalgo is County Commissioner.  I really hope the next commissioner can finally do something transformative with the Astrodome.  If not, I’m praying someone from the private sector will step up.

Fun fact: the Astrodome originally had natural grass, a special type bred to be grown indoors, and the roof panels were originally transparent to allow as much sun in. But even then, the fact that the grass was in a depression surrounded by high walls meant it still didn't get enough direct sunlight throughout the day to thrive. When players started complaining about the glare on top of the grass not growing well, switching to artificial turf was a no brainer.

And of course that went on at a time when people didn't care about sustainability. What you're suggesting is turning the Astrodome into a giant greenhouse, as in creating a "greenhouse effect" which means the temperature inside the dome would be significantly hotter than the ambient temperature outside, which means the HVAC system would have to be even more powerful and use up even more energy to bring the temperature back down to a comfortable level. Beyond the sustainability issues you'd also have a significant increase in operational costs.

My gut tells me that the cost of putting a retractable roof on the Dynamo stadium and installing HVAC would probably be less expensive than what it would cost to rehabilitate the Astrodome to usefulness as an indoor stadium again.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that the Battle of San Jacinto took place in what is now the city of La Porte, not Houston, and the Allen brothers didn't even acquire the land that they would found Houston on until several months after the Battle of San Jacinto, so the "thunder" of the Battle of San Jacinto has never rightfully been Houston's historically or geographically, thus no way for it to be "stolen" from us. If anything, turning the Astrodome into exhibition space for the Texas bicentennial would make Houston guilty of "stealing the thunder of the Battle of San Jacinto" by your logic.

Edited July 18 by Reefmonkey

[hbg.50]

3 hours ago, Reefmonkey said:

Fun fact: the Astrodome originally had natural grass, a special type bred to be grown indoors, and the roof panels were originally transparent to allow as much sun in. But even then, the fact that the grass was in a depression surrounded by high walls meant it still didn't get enough direct sunlight throughout the day to thrive. When players started complaining about the glare on top of the grass not growing well, switching to artificial turf was a no brainer.

Right.  Just as the Astrodome was the first domed stadium of its kind, the grass issue led to Astroturf which is pretty much now the standard across most athletic fields.  55 years, later I bet someone can develop a grass variety that will grow in the Dome.  Or, perhaps a retractable field can be used - like Allegiant Stadium in LV uses.  It’s a minor thing.

3 hours ago, Reefmonkey said:

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that the Battle of San Jacinto took place in what is now the city of La Porte, not Houston

Geez, you’re really splitting hairs here.  For all intents and purposes La Porte is Houston.  Johnson Space Center is in Clear Lake City.  So what! It’s Houston!  
Besides, I’m not hung up so much on the Houston city limits as much as the fact that the Texas Revolution was fought in this area.  The San Felipe Trail went right through Houston to Harrisburg.  There is actual Texas history here.

 

[Reefmonkey]

19 hours ago, hbg.50 said:

Right.  Just as the Astrodome was the first domed stadium of its kind, the grass issue led to Astroturf which is pretty much now the standard across most athletic fields.  55 years, later I bet someone can develop a grass variety that will grow in the Dome.  Or, perhaps a retractable field can be used - like Allegiant Stadium in LV uses.  It’s a minor thing.

Geez, you’re really splitting hairs here.  For all intents and purposes La Porte is Houston.  Johnson Space Center is in Clear Lake City.  So what! It’s Houston!  
Besides, I’m not hung up so much on the Houston city limits as much as the fact that the Texas Revolution was fought in this area.  The San Felipe Trail went right through Houston to Harrisburg.  There is actual Texas history here.

 

The issue of shade tolerant grass isn't just a problem for sports stadiums, as anyone with a yard with a small area shaded by walls, or who has bare ground under big trees can attest. Over the past 70 years there has been a lot of work done to develop new turfgrass varieties for a lot of different conditions, and a lot of great accomplishments have been made in disease resistance and a lot of other improvements, but the one hurdle that has proved insurmountable is producing a turf grass that can get by on less than 4 hours of direct sunlight a day. The kinds of grasses that make good turfgrasses evolved to cover plains and prairies where they got a lot of sunlight, and/or went dormant when they didn't. There's only so far you can push the genetics.

Allegiant Field was built with the retractable field as part of the design. On top of the massive redesign of one side of the Astrodome that would be necessary in order to have the slot for the grass field to go in and out of, you also have the fact that then you'd have to lower the tray of grass 25 down to the floor of the Astrodome. Allegiant's grass tray weighs 9,555 tons, by the way. And where is this giant tray going to go when it is outside getting sun? Into the parking lot? Taking up precious parking space that the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the Texans guard so jealously that it is one of the largest obstacles to redeveloping the Astrodome into anything else?

Johnson Space Center is within Houston city limits. The City of Houston annexed Clear Lake down to Nasa Road 1 and over to Space Center Boulevard decades ago (and it was part of Houston's Extraterritorial Jurisdiction before that). La Porte, on the other hand, has been its own incorporated home rule city since 1892, back when Houston was only 9 square miles with city limits that didn't extend south of the intersection of Elgin and Crawford.

Dallas didn't "(literally) buy" the Texas Centennial Exposition, it made the largest commitment to spend on improvements  on its city to prepare it for the Expo, and it was already a strong contender because Fair Park, which had been hosting the Texas State Fair since 1886, had proven itself as a very suitable site for the event.

I'm not hung up on the idea that Texas history happening in and near what is now the Greater Houston Area gives the City of Houston some special ownership of that history, I consider it to belong to the entire state. And I don't see the Astrodome being 30 some miles away from a field where a battle was fought that's now surrounded by petrochemical plants in probably the ugliest part of the state, or near a pioneer trail that has long since had any traces obliterated by urban sprawl is really that big a selling point for the Astrodome as the logical site of Texas' bicentennial celebrations. If physical proximity to Texas history should be the leading factor in which city gets that honor, then San Antonio has both Dallas and Houston beat by a country mile. San Antonio has actually well preserved landmarks of major historical significance right in its city limits, and in pleasant areas where tourists would actually want to go through. The Alamo, all the missions in the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, the Spanish Governor's Palace, the Menger Hotel where Teddy Roosevelt assembled his Rough Riders...

If you want to revitalize a relic from the 60s to host the Texas Bicentennial, HemisFair Park in San Antonio makes WAY more sense than the Astrodome. It's currently undergoing a major revitalization anyway, and then you've got the Convention Center and the Alamodome both right next door. Thinking about it now, I'm convinced, that's absolutely where the bicentennial needs to happen.

Edited July 19 by Reefmonkey

[hbg.50]

The purpose of my post was to suggest a couple of use cases for the Dome.  Yes, there will be obstacles.  Those obstacles can be overcome with the appropriate leadership and vision.

[Reefmonkey]

This argument that if we just had more "leadership" and "vision", we'd find a way to save the Astrodome is a recurring theme here; it relies on an a priori assumption that the Astrodome should be saved, but true leadership and vision requires questioning all assumptions. True leadership and vision requires one to recognize that when every proposal for reusing the Astrodome, no matter how different, comes back to the same set of obstacles on top of each proposal's unique obstacles, and for 20 years no proposal has been able to propose a viable solution to overcoming those recurrent obstacles, this is a clear sign that the assumption the Astrodome should be saved is untenable. Stubbornly clinging to an assumption despite multiple signs that it is a flawed one is not true leadership or vision. Stubbornly wanting to save an old redundant building that is unusable in its current form and would have to be radically and expensively transformed to the point that it is a mere shell of its former self, and then would not be able to generate revenue to pay for this expensive transformation, for the recurring reasons every proposal runs up against, that's not leadership or vision. 

Edited July 25 by Reefmonkey

[Houston19514]

5 hours ago, Reefmonkey said:

This argument that if we just had more "leadership" and "vision", we'd find a way to save the Astrodome is a recurring theme here; it relies on an a priori assumption that the Astrodome should be saved, but true leadership and vision requires questioning all assumptions. True leadership and vision requires one to recognize that when every proposal for reusing the Astrodome, no matter how different, comes back to the same set of obstacles on top of each proposal's unique obstacles, and for 20 years no proposal has been able to propose a viable solution to overcoming those recurrent obstacles, this is a clear sign that the assumption the Astrodome should be saved is untenable. Stubbornly clinging to an assumption despite multiple signs that it is a flawed one is not true leadership or vision. Stubbornly wanting to save an old redundant building that is unusable in its current form and would have to be radically and expensively transformed to the point that it is a mere shell of its former self, and then would not be able to generate revenue to pay for this expensive transformation, for the recurring reasons every proposal runs up against, that's not leadership or vision. 

True leadership would lead to SOMETHING being done; whether that is repurposing the Dome or demolishing it and repurposing the land.  The existence of the Dome as an empty shell is a monument to poor leadership.

[MaxConcrete]

4 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

True leadership would lead to SOMETHING being done; whether that is repurposing the Dome or demolishing it and repurposing the land.  The existence of the Dome as an empty shell is a monument to poor leadership.

I think the Dome is stuck in an indefinite status of nothing happening - something like a stalemate or deadlock. It cannot be demolished due to historical status, but there is no logical reuse for the building at an affordable cost.

It seems to me that the main beneficiary of transforming the Dome into an event space would be the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. But I don't recall ever hearing any advocacy from the HLSR for refurbishment/reuse to meet their needs. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

The second beneficiary (on a much smaller scale) could be the Texans, with the space used for events like tailgating. Once again, no interest or advocacy.

If neither the HLSR nor Texans want a repurposed Dome, there's no logical reason to spend heavily to refurbish it. All the other pie-in-the-sky ideas for uses other than event space are expensive and don't make any sense.

Unless HLSR or the Texans step up with advocacy and ideally money, the only logical outcome is demolition. How and when it happens is anybody's guess, but it will probably be in the distant future. As August948 mentioned, it "will sit there until sometime in the far future when it deteriorates to the point that they have to demolish it. "

Edited July 26 by MaxConcrete

[Houston19514]

16 hours ago, MaxConcrete said:

I think the Dome is stuck in an indefinite status of nothing happening - something like a stalemate or deadlock. It cannot be demolished due to historical status, but there is no logical reuse for the building at an affordable cost.

It seems to me that the main beneficiary of transforming the Dome into an event space would be the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. But I don't recall ever hearing any advocacy from the HLSR for refurbishment/reuse to meet their needs. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

The second beneficiary (on a much smaller scale) could be the Texans, with the space used for events like tailgating. Once again, no interest or advocacy.

If neither the HLSR nor Texans want a repurposed Dome, there's no logical reason to spend heavily to refurbish it. All the other pie-in-the-sky ideas for uses other than event space are expensive and don't make any sense.

Unless HLSR or the Texans step up with advocacy and ideally money, the only logical outcome is demolition. How and when it happens is anybody's guess, but it will probably be in the distant future. As August948 mentioned, it "will sit there until sometime in the far future when it deteriorates to the point that they have to demolish it. "

All very true.  Again, all that is lacking is leadership.  It could come from HLSR. It could come from the Texans. It could come from the county.  The worst possible outcome is to spend millions of dollars over several decades maintaining it in its vacant state and then demolish it.  

I'm hoping for some direction to come out of the discussions that I believer are ongoing with all parties regarding the future development of NRG Park (and related to the expiration of the Texans lease term).

Edited July 26 by Houston19514

[hbg.50]

A moderator moved my post about design improvements for NRG Park.  Not sure if the moderator is aware that the Astrodome is right snack in the middle of that complex.

Anyway after re-reading the HBJ article I noticed the approved design contracts were very specific… HCSCC approved seven different agreements with six firms for various services during the June 18 board meeting, according to the meeting minutes obtained by HBJ.

1. The organization approved a $100,000 agreement for consulting services with Frisco, Texas-based Convention Sports and Leisure.

2. - 5. HCSCC approved separate agreements with Dallas-based HKS, Kansas City-based Populous, Cleveland-based OSports and Kansas City-based Manica Architecture for design studies for NRG Stadium. Each of the agreements totaled $50,000

6. - 7. Additionally, HCSCC approved two agreements for NRG Center design studies with Populous and Atlanta-based Thomas, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates. The agreements totaled $50,000 each

Also at the June board meeting, HCSCC approved a $1.11 million contract with Houston-based engineering firm Walter P Moore to design a plan to fully replace NRG Stadium’s fabric roof. The project is expected to be completed in summer 2025.

So, to summarize, other than potentially the consulting services agreement with Convention Sports and Leisure, none of these contracts will address the Astrodome.  It’s just sitting there being the big “elephant in the room!”

[Zorin]

The Dome's a funny subject, really.  

First off, as I understand, there is, or was, a not so insignificant asbestos remediation project going on there.  Perhaps that's completed by now, I hadn't really heard. 

Seeing as NRG Park and the Dome are owned by Harris County, and is considered a public asset, getting something else done with the Astrodome would probably require private ownership, and with that, private stewardship. I would think it could be a FANTASTIC huge luxury hotel and casino, personally.  However, with the county owning the building that will never fly.  The other mondo-sized problem here is that the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the Houston Texans are the main tenants of NRG Park , and their leases are good till 2032, which gives them quite a measure of influence of how the entire NRG site is operated - and this includes the Astrodome. 

As recollection serves, the reason it was closed was due to some sort of code violations, which means the next guy will have to spend big bucks probably to get the thing up to snuff. Yet, it was declared a Texas Landmark or something along those lines that means the state historical commission would have to OK it's demolition. 

Add it all up, and I see Harris County residents paying a ton of dough for something they can't use, can't repurpose, and can't demolish.  The pile of red tape seems to be as tall as the Astrodome itself. 

So, the million dollar question is, what would YOU like to see the Dome used for that has both public interest, and something that you wouldn't mind seeing your taxes go up a little for - because your tax dollars are going to be paying for it to some degree.  (Interesting thought - I wonder what the yearly bill is to just keep the thing sitting there....and not fall down.) 

 

[Reefmonkey]

On 7/25/2024 at 3:13 PM, Houston19514 said:

True leadership would lead to SOMETHING being done; whether that is repurposing the Dome or demolishing it and repurposing the land.  The existence of the Dome as an empty shell is a monument to poor leadership.

I can agree with that; I just refute the argument that some have advanced that the only reason a preservationist reuse hasn't been achieved is lack of leadership. As long as we agree that acknowledging when a building can't be reused and needs to be torn down so the land can be put to a better use is also leadership. I don't want to let Lina Hidalgo off the hook, because I think she's generally incompetent, but IMO the worst failure of leadership in the Astrodome saga was Ed Emmett, because not only did he have such "save the Astrodome" tunnel vision that he ignored the wishes of the voters of Harris County, which is a failure to acknowledge a lot of things, including when a building can't be reused, but he also made sure the Astrodome got put on  the National Register of Historic Places, State Antiquities Landmarks list, and National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of Endangered Historic Places precisely to make it harder to demolish the dome. Now the State Antiquities Landmarks designation is the only one that creates actual legal hurdles to demolition. Though those legal hurdles are not insurmountable, the obvious effect Emmett was going for was to create the perception in the public's mind that the Dome could not be demolished, and thus any call to do so would trigger automatic outcry. Painting the county into a corner that way was TERRIBLE leadership just to feed his own ego. And honestly now, given that one legal hurdle, State Antiquities Landmark status, is in the hands of Austin, I have little doubt Abbott, Patrick, and Paxton would exert their influence to block clearance of demolition if Lina Hidalgo tried to push it through, just out of their overwhelming spite for her. So it would be understandable Hidalgo wouldn't want to fight that fight.

Quote

The worst possible outcome is to spend millions of dollars over several decades maintaining it in its vacant state and then demolish it.  

My concern with that mindset is it implies "well we've already spent millions of dollars over several decades maintaining it, so now we HAVE to find a way to save it rather than demolishing it." There is a name for that kind of decision-making: Sunk Cost Fallacy.

[BeerNut]

When people that cling to fond memories of a building that's only claim to fame was indoor air condition and fake grass are dead and gone,  it will be demolished with little fanfare as a derelict building from the past.

[trymahjong]

……gulp…..for those of us, who are not quite gone yet…..that seems so grim….but all these years…..Houston disappointing us….just goes on and on and on…………

[Big E]

On 7/25/2024 at 7:25 PM, MaxConcrete said:

It cannot be demolished due to historical status,

Its historical status does not stop it from being demolished, but only makes it slightly more difficult. There is nothing stopping anyone from demolishing the place.

[hbg.50]

6 hours ago, Notorious B.I.G. said:

Its historical status does not stop it from being demolished, but only makes it slightly more difficult. There is nothing stopping anyone from demolishing the place.

It would cost as much to demolish as to develop…$120M is the estimate.

[hbg.50]

Light finally goes on at Houston Business Journal.  I guess there is still hope.

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2024/08/08/astrodome-redevelopment-nrg-park.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_27&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_s

Officials ‘can’t ignore’ Astrodome as NRG Park redevelopment planning continues

As officials plan for the future of NRG Park, there is one piece of the puzzle that needs to be addressed.

“We can’t ignore the Astrodome,” said Ryan Walsh, executive director of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp. “The Dome needs to be part of the solution for the future of NRG Park.”

This appears to align with the broader plans for NRG Park, with HCSCC Chairman Bishop James Dixon II saying at the October 2023 Harris County Commissioners Court meeting that a potential plan for the redevelopment should be a “365-days-a-year innovator of profits that deals with sports entertainment but also commerce, retail and residential development.”  

“Arlington, Atlanta, St. Louis, this is happening around the country — even in downtown Houston now — where we're creating these entertainment districts around these sports stadiums and arenas,” Wiedower-Jackson said. “We see the Astrodome as the catalyst for that type of entertainment destination.”

The Astrodome's state and federal historical designations do not limit what can be done inside the building, Wiedower-Jackson added. Those designations also allow for up to 45% of hard and soft costs for a redevelopment project to be reimbursed through historic rehabilitation tax credits.

HCSCC has not yet looked deeply into a potential solution for the Astrodome, Walsh said, but the venue is part of the ongoing discussions regarding NRG Park. 

 

[Amlaham]

It would have been nice if something was on the table before the 2026 World Cup, but I guess something is better than nothing.

[Big E]

2 hours ago, hbg.50 said:

It would cost as much to demolish as to develop…$120M is the estimate.

Cost is only one factor. Development is being stalled for various other reasons than just cost. Demolition is relatively easier and more painless by comparison.