Astrodome faces uncertain future

San Antonio Express-News ^ | 06/15/2010 | By David Barron - Houston Chronicle

[Responsibility2nd]

Express-News file photo

[Retired Greyhound]

I’d buy it.

[a fool in paradise]

Houston PING

Don’t know why we have “non-compete” clauses in our contracts on the Reliant Stadium and Toyota Center when we still owned the Astrodome and Summit/Compaq Center.

We own all of the real estate. Our tenants can’t decree what we can or cannot do with our other already existing civic buildings when we are paying for their new civic buildings.

[Ravi]

many a oilers/astros game there did I witness. Terrible lighting but I loved going there nonetheless.

[Responsibility2nd]

Slideshow.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/slideshows/Whats_next_for_Astrodome.html?c=n#1

I don’t know why the Astrodome evokes emotions over many other stadiums and fields, but it does.

[musicman]

bflr

[Buckeye McFrog]

Super-Ultra-Mega-Monster-Jumbo-Giant-Extreme-WalMart....

[a fool in paradise]

Thee was this on the Comical’s website yesterday. I’d be interested in seeing the full hour long (1975) documentary.

http://blogs.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2010/06/1975_documentary_celebrates_10th_anniversary_of_th.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+houstonchronicle%2Fbayoucityhistory+%28Bayou+City+History%29

5 minute video embedded in the above link

[humblegunner]

I saw Pink Floyd there in 1987.

It was awesome.

Saw some sports stuff too but it was less awesome.

[dfwgator]

Super-Ultra-Mega-Monster-Jumbo-Giant-Extreme-WalMart....

Or Super-Ultra-Mega-Monster-Jumbo-Giant-Extreme-Mega-Church....

[mgstarr]

I went there once as a kid in the pre-astroturf days. Don’t remember much.

[a fool in paradise]

One option, to the tune of about $88 million, would demolish the Dome and use the land for a fountain that would replicate the building's familiar pattern of girders and ceiling tiles.

NO FOUNTAIN. Either it is worth preserving or it isn't.

Right now there are two stadiums situated on property designed for one. Turn it into parking to replace the parking lot surrendered for the Reliant Stadium IF it is to be torn down at all.

And then I will laugh, because while the former stadium sat in the middle of a vast parking lot, the newer stadium sits at the far edge of a vast parking lot meaning that everyone needs to hike even farther. And we gave up the people movers that used to drive people over to Astroworld.

PS our trolly sits beyond the farthest edge of our parking lot. WOOO WOOOO!!! < /digital train horn sound >

[a fool in paradise]

The second and third options, with the addition of private funding, could revamp the Dome and update Reliant Park's convention facilities at a cost ranging up to $1.35 billion.

And this would NOT compete with the George R. Brown how?

[TexGuy]

The Bad News Bears played there in the 70s sequel ... You obviously can’t tear it down now! It’s a True Icon!

[I Buried My Guns]

I live about a mile away from the Dome. It is my understanding that it is falling apart inside, and would take many hundreds of millions of $$$ to make it safe again, so any refurb plans are merely politician-spewed propaganda. They know it can never be reinhabited.

The thing about the cats is kinda neat, though.

[dfwgator]

Meanwhile here in Dallas, we’ve torn down Reunion Arena and Texas Stadium within the last year alone.

Yet the Cotton Bowl still stands, go figure.

[a fool in paradise]

You need to be careful which reports you read telling you that it is “unsafe”. True the county is letting it fall into disrepair as they did with the Colosseum before it.

But the fire marshall started to apply fire codes that never applied to the Astrodome. THAT is what led them to say that it was no longer “safe” for anyone to enter.

[a fool in paradise]

In Seattle they tore down one of their stadiums and at least when I travelled up there a few years ago were STILL paying off debts on it.

[Secret Agent Man]

Post it on craigslist.

[ansel12]

I remember the jet-pack flying around in the Astrodome in 1965, and Jimi Hendrix playing in the Coliseum.