 Astrodome in 2014 | |
 | |
| Former names |
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|---|---|
| Address | 8400 Kirby Drive |
| Location | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 29°41′6″N95°24′28″W / 29.68500°N 95.40778°W /29.68500; -95.40778 |
| Public transit | NRG Park |
| Owner | Harris County |
| Operator | Astrodome USA |
| Record attendance | George Strait concert, 68,266 |
| Field size |
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| Surface |
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| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 3, 1962 |
| Built | March 18, 1963[4]–November 1964[5] |
| Opened | April 9, 1965 |
| Renovated | 1988–1989 |
| Closed | 2008 |
| Demolished | December 8, 2013 (partial) |
| Construction cost | US$35 million ($349 million in 2024 dollars[3]) |
| Architect |
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| Structural engineer | Walter P Moore |
| Services engineer |
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| General contractor | H. A. Lott, Inc.[1] |
| Tenants | |
| |
The Astrodome | |
  Houston  Houston | |
| NRHP reference No. | 13001099[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 15, 2014 |
| Designated TSAL | January 27, 2017 |
TheNRG Astrodome,[6] formerly and also known as theHouston Astrodome or simply theAstrodome, was the world's firstmulti-purpose,domed sportsstadium, located inHouston, Texas, United States. It seated around 50,000 fans, with a record attendance of 68,266 set by aGeorge Strait concert in 2002.
It was financed and assisted in development byRoy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston and known for pioneering modern stadiums. Construction on the stadium began in 1963, more than a year after the ceremonial groundbreaking, and it officially opened in 1965. It served as home to theHouston Astros ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) from1965 until1999, and the home to theHouston Oilers of theAmerican Football League (AFL)/National Football League (NFL) from1968 until1996, and also the part-time home of theHouston Rockets of theNational Basketball Association (NBA) from 1971 until 1975. Additionally, the Astrodome was the primary venue of theHouston Livestock Show and Rodeo from 1966 until 2002. When opened, it was named theHarris County Domed Stadium and was nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World".
After the original natural grass playing surface died, the Astrodome became the first major sports venue to installartificial turf in1966, which became known asAstroTurf. In another technological first, the Astrodome featured the "Astrolite", which was the first animated scoreboard. The stadium was renovated in 1988–1989, expanding seating and altering many original features.
By the 1990s, the Astrodome was becoming obsolete. Unable to secure a new stadium, Oilers ownerBud Adams moved the team toTennessee after1996, and became theTennessee Titans in1999. The Astros played at the dome through1999, then relocated to Enron Field (nowDaikin Park) in2000.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo continued to be held at the Astrodome until the opening of the adjacentNRG Stadium in 2002 (which coincided with the debut of theHouston Texans, the team that replaced the Oilers). Although the Astrodome no longer had any primary tenants, it regularly hosted events during the early 2000s. It was used as a shelter for residents ofNew Orleans affected byHurricane Katrina in 2005.
The Astrodome was declared non-compliant withfire code by theHouston Fire Department in 2008, and parts of it were demolished in 2013 after several years of disuse. In 2014, it was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places, thus preventing the rest of the structure from being demolished.[2][7] As of 2024, most of the Astrodome structure is still standing, but it has been closed to the public since 2009 and is currently being used as a storage facility for the surrounding NRG Park.[8] Various plans to redevelop the Astrodome have been proposed since the structure was abandoned.[9]
Major League Baseball expanded to Houston in 1960, when the National League agreed to add two teams. The Houston Colt .45s (renamed theAstros in 1965) were to begin play in 1962, along with their expansion brethrenNew York Mets.Roy Hofheinz, a formermayor of Houston, and his group were granted the franchise after they promised to build a covered stadium. It was thought a covered stadium was a must for a major league team to be viable in Houston due to the area'ssubtropical climate and hot summers. Game-time temperatures are usually above 97 °F (36 °C) in July and August, with high humidity and a likelihood of rain. Hofheinz claimed inspiration for what became the Astrodome from a tour of Rome, where he learned that the builders of the ancientColosseum installed a giantvelarium (fabric awning) to shield spectators from the sun.
The Astrodome was conceived by Hofheinz as early as 1952, when he and his daughter Dene were rained out once too often atBuffalo Stadium, home of Houston's minor league baseball team, theHouston Buffs. Hofheinz abandoned his interest inThe Galleria, and set his sights on bringing major league baseball to Houston.[10]
The county commissioner was positively indignant at the way everybody, particularly the news media, kept calling the new county facility by the wrong name. "The county built it and the county paid for it," he loudly complained to a packed hearing room, "and, dammit, the countyowns it!" Growing purplish, the commissioner blustered that "People by God ought to start calling it by its right name:The Harris County Domed Stadium!!"
"Well," soothed the agreeable Judge, "you can call it whatever you wanta call it." With the temperate grace of a statesman he smiled amicably, puffed his cigar and added, "But the World is gonna know it as the Astrodome."
The Astrodome was designed by architects Hermon Lloyd & W. B. Morgan, and Wilson, Morris, Crain and Anderson (Morris Architects). Structural engineering and structural design were performed byWalter P Moore Engineers and Consultants of Houston. Credit[12] for the design work on the dome roof structural goes to Dr. G. R. Kiewitt and Mr. Louis O. Bass of Roof Structures, Inc. It was constructed by H. A. Lott, Inc. forHarris County. It stands 18 stories tall, covering 9.5 acres (3.8 ha). The dome is 710 feet (220 m) in diameter and the ceiling is 208 feet (63 m) above the playing surface, which itself sits 25 feet (7.6 m) below street level.[13] The air conditioning system was designed by I. A. Naman; other aspects that were considered included visibility (which could be reduced by cigarette smoke), light admittance, and acoustics (requiring approximately1⁄2 the roof area to be covered with sound-absorbing materials), the air handling units were designed to move 2,500,000 cu ft/min (1,200 m3/s) of air, with approximately 10% of that being fresh air from outside to limit carbon dioxide buildup.[14]
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The scoreboard, eventually known as the "Astrolite", was designed byFair Play Scoreboards ofDes Moines, Iowa.[15] Having designed the scoreboard forDodger Stadium several years prior, team owner Roy Hofheinz was not impressed with the initial proposal for a much more generic type of scoreboard. Project designer Jack Foster teamed up with a creative professional based in Kansas City to create the first animated scoreboard. Its reported cost was $2.1 million.[15]
The Dome was completed in November 1964, six months ahead of schedule.[16] Many engineering changes were required during construction, including the modest flattening of the supposed "hemispherical roof" to cope with environmentally induced structural deformation and the use of a new paving process called "lime stabilization" to cope with changes in the chemistry of the soil. Theair conditioning system was designed by Houstonmechanical engineers Israel A. Naman and Jack Boyd Buckley of I. A. Naman + Associates.
The multi-purpose stadium, designed to facilitate both football and baseball, is nearly circular and uses movable lower seating areas. It also ushered in the era of other fully domed stadiums, such as theCaesars Superdome inNew Orleans, as well as the all now-demolishedPontiac Silverdome nearDetroit,Georgia Dome inAtlanta,Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome inMinneapolis,Kingdome inSeattle, andRCA Dome inIndianapolis.
To test what effect the enclosed air-conditioned environment might have on the delivery ofbreaking balls,Satchel Paige, in full Astros uniform, threw the first pitches at the Astrodome on February 7, 1965.[17][18] He later concluded that it was a "pitcher's paradise", as the lack of wind allowed for sensitive pitches to maneuver more easily.
Hofheinz had an opulent apartment in the Dome, which was removed when the facility was remodeled in 1988.[19] The seven-floor apartment was adjacent to the right field bleachers and included a shooting gallery, a bowling alley, a chapel, and apresidential suite.[20]
The stadium's opening day took place on April 9, 1965. A sold-out crowd of 47,879 watched an exhibition game between theAstros and theNew York Yankees.PresidentLyndon B. Johnson and his wifeLady Bird were in attendance, as well asGovernorJohn Connally andMayorLouie Welch. Governor Connally tossed out the first ball for the first indoor MLB game.Dick "Turk" Farrell of the Astros threw the first pitch.Mickey Mantle had both the first hit (a single) and the first home run in the Astrodome, but the Astros won 2–1 in twelve innings.[21][22][23]
President Johnson stopped at the Astrodome that evening en route to his home inJohnson City and paid his respects to baseball and Astros president Roy Hofheinz, a campaign manager for Johnson in the 1940s, just as the second inning got underway. He and Lady Bird watched the opening night game from behind the glass in Judge Hofheinz's private box high in the right field just to the right of the giant scoreboard. LBJ ate hors d'œuvres and chicken and ice cream while watching the game.[23] "Roy, I want to congratulate you; it shows so much imagination", he was heard to say. Later, he called the stadium "massive" and "beautiful." Although the president's visit overshadowed all others, dignitaries swarmed through the "Eighth Wonder of the World" during the three days of the exhibition series and for opening night against thePhillies on April 12. Chris Short of the Phillies shut out the Astros on four hits, with 12 strikeouts.[24][25]
The first artist to play the Astrodome wasJudy Garland on December 17, 1965;The Supremes were her opening act, and tickets were priced $1.00 to $7.50. The dome seated 48,000, and another 12,000 seats were added for this show. Paid $43,000 for the one show, Garland appeared on stage at 10 p.m. and sang for forty minutes, with her set of songs including: "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"; "Just in Time"; "My Kind of Town, Houston Is"/"Houston"; "As Long As He Needs Me"; "Joey, Joey, Joey"; "Do it Again"; "What Now My Love?"; "By Myself"; "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby"; "San Francisco"; "Chicago"; and "Over the Rainbow."Mort Lindsey conducted.[26]
The Astrodome suffered arainout on June 15, 1976. TheAstros' scheduled game against thePittsburgh Pirates was called when massive flooding in the Houston area prevented all but a few fans from reaching the stadium. Both teams had arrived early for practice, but the umpires were several hours late. At 5 pm that day, with only a handful of fans on hand and already several hours behind, the umpires and teams agreed to call the game off. Tables were brought onto the field and the teams ate dinner together.[27] Although the Astros still had a home series with Pittsburgh in August, this game was made up in Pittsburgh in July.
In 1989, four cylindrical pedestrian ramp columns were constructed outside the Dome foraccessibility. This enabled the Astrodome to comply with theAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
The1992 Republican National Convention was held at the Astrodome in August of that year. TheAstros accommodated the convention by taking a month-long road trip. A manually operated scoreboard debuted that season.
On August 19, 1995, a scheduled preseason game between theOilers and theSan Diego Chargers had to be canceled due to the dilapidated condition of the playing field. Oilers ownerBud Adams demanded a new stadium, but the city of Houston refused to fund it. After years of threats, Adams moved the team toNashville, Tennessee after the 1996 season.[28] Around that time the Astros also threatened to leave the city unless a new ballpark was built.[28] The retractable-roofedEnron Field (now known as Daikin Park) opened for the2000 season in downtown Houston.
One of the largest crowds in the Astrodome's history, more than 66,746 fans, came on Sunday, February 26, 1995, to seeTejano superstarSelena and her band Los Dinos perform for a sell-out crowd during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.[29] Selena y Los Dinos performed two consecutive times before at the Astrodome, breaking previous attendance records each time. This was Selena's last televised concert before she wasfatally shot on March 31, 1995, byher fan club president.
The Astrodome was joined by a new neighbor in2002, the retractable-roofed Reliant Stadium (now known asNRG Stadium), which was built to house Houston's newNFL franchise, theHouston Texans. TheHouston Livestock Show and Rodeo moved to the new venue in 2003, leaving the Astrodome without any major tenants. The last concert at the Astrodome wasGeorge Strait & theAce in the Hole Band during the 2002 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, before a record crowd of 68,266; the performance was recorded inFor the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome.[30]
On August 31, 2005, in the wake ofHurricane Katrina, theHarris County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the State ofLouisiana came to an agreement to allow at least 25,000 evacuees fromNew Orleans, especially those that were sheltered in theLouisiana Superdome, to move to the Astrodome until they could return home. The evacuation began on September 1, 2005. All scheduled events for the final four months of 2005 at the Astrodome were cancelled.[31] Overflow refugees were held in the surrounding Reliant Park complex. There was a full field hospital inside theReliant Arena, which cared for the entire Katrina evacuee community.
The entire Reliant Park complex was scheduled to be emptied of hurricane evacuees by September 17, 2005. Originally, the Astrodome was planned to be used to house evacuees until December. However, the surrounding parking lots were needed for the first Houston Texans home game. Arrangements were made to help Katrina evacuees find apartments both in Houston and elsewhere in the United States. By September 16, 2005, the last of the hurricane evacuees living in the Astrodome had been moved out either to the neighboring Reliant Arena or to permanent housing north of Houston.[32] As of September 20, 2005, the remaining Katrina evacuees were relocated toArkansas due toHurricane Rita.[33]
In 2008, the facility was cited for numerous code violations. Since then, only maintenance workers and security guards have been allowed to enter the stadium while it is brought up to code.[34] The city council rejected demolition plans on environmental grounds, over concerns that demolition of the Dome might damage the dense development that today closely surrounds it.[35]
Numerous renovation/refurbishment plans for the dome have been presented over the years. Houston's plan to host the2012 Summer Olympics included renovating the Astrodome for use as an Olympic Stadium hosting the ceremonies, athletics and soccer finals.[36] Houston became one of theUSOC's bid finalists, but the organization choseNew York City as its candidate city, and the2012 Summer Olympic Games were held inLondon, Great Britain by theIOC.
Plans to convert the Astrodome into a luxury hotel were rejected.[37] A proposal to convert the Astrodome into a movie production studio was also considered but rejected.[38] Regardless of the type of renovation, all renovation plans must deal with the problem of occupancy code violations that have basically shuttered the Astrodome for the near future.[39]
In June 2013, a comprehensive plan was unveiled that would have seen the aging structure undergo an almost $200 million renovation into a multi-purpose event/convention facility. The measure would have to have been approved first through a bond election in Harris County for the publicly funded project to go forward or else, officials warned, the iconic structure would be demolished.[40] Voters ended up rejecting the measure on November 5, 2013.[41]
On November 5, 2013, voters in Houston turned down a $213 million referendum to renovate and convert the Astrodome into a state-of-the-art convention center and exhibition space known as "New Dome Experience".[42] Until a final disposition is made,Harris County commissioners will not approve demolition of the dome. "The building's still there. There's no formal plan or authorization to demolish the building, and until somebody brings such a plan to fruition, there's a chance," according to Willie Loston, executive director of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation. "The proposal was rejected by the voters. We're back to where we were. Square one," according to Steve Radack, Harris County commissioner.[43]
Three exterior pedestrian ramp towers were demolished on December 8, 2013. Around that time, the ramp bridges were disconnected from the main structure and the surrounding grass berms were lowered. The ticket booths were also removed along with the interior seats. The demolition was planned prior to the referendum.[44][45]
After the failed bond election of 2013, the county went back to the drawing board and in August 2014 the County Commissioners Court announced a new plan to save and rejuvenate the Astrodome. The new concept centered around leaving the Dome's roof intact and converting the Astrodome's vast central space into a covered semi-climate-controlled city park that could have flexible uses for both public recreation and gatherings such as festivals and concerts. The remainder of the complex would have been redeveloped over time using a combination of public and private funds and include elements such as an educational exploration area to encourage students to learn about the sciences and engineering and possibly meeting, exhibition, and restaurant areas that would not only serve the general public, but could also add value to the Houston Texans' Game Day Experiences and be used by the Rodeo. A key element of this proposal centered around the ability for the county to proceed with the initial phases of the project using existing funds without having to seek voter approval for an expensive bond referendum.[46] However, this plan failed as well.
After the failed plans of past years, the Astrodome Revitalization Project was proposed in September 2016. This plan would turn the dome into a massive underground parking garage. Specifically, the first step would raise the dome floor and use the space underneath that as parking, leaving the floor above for other uses. On September 27, 2016, the Harris County Commissioners approved the first part of the plan. This marked a major turning point for the dome, as some feared if the plan wasn't approved the building would be demolished.[47][48][49] On January 27, 2017, the Texas Historical Commission voted unanimously to designate the dome a State Antiquities Landmark.[50] Under the designation, the Astrodome may no longer be removed, altered, damaged, salvaged, or excavated without a permit from the commission.[51]The Harris County Commissioners voted to approve a $105 million renovation plan on February 13, 2018. This plan keeps the parking garage from the Revitalization Project. Construction was set to start in October 2018 and would be completed sometime in 2020.[52] The construction start date was later moved to early 2019 and was expected to finish in 2020.[53] However, as of September 2019, the plan was put on hold with no word when construction might take place.[54] It was announced in November 2019 that the Revitalization Project has been scrapped by Commissioners Court JudgeLina Hidalgo. Hidalgo explained that "The plan that had been designed wouldn't have yielded truly a usable building". As of November, there have been no new plans for the Astrodome.[55]
Although the Astros never played in a World Series while at the Dome, they have participated in five Fall Classics atDaikin Park (2005,2017,2019,2021, and2022). By the time the Astros finally won the Series in 2017, they had switched to the American League.
TheBattle of the Sexestennis match occurred on September 20, 1973, aired onABC withBillie Jean King defeatingBobby Riggs in three straight sets. While more of a publicity stunt than a serious match, it made national headlines and stands as a milestone in the progress of women's sports. Scenes were filmed in the Astrodome for the 2017 filmBattle of the Sexes which starredEmma Stone andSteve Carell, who played King and Riggs, respectively.
The Astrodome held several motorsports events throughout its lifetime. TheAMA Grand National Championship held events starting in 1968 and running for 18 years, utilizing the Short Track and TT Steeplechase track configurations in their visits. TheAMA Supercross Championship held its first ever indoor Supercross at the Astrodome in 1974, won byJim Pomeroy. In the mid-1980s theMickey Thompson Entertainment Group held several Stadium Off-Road Racing Series events, showcasing such drivers asIvan Stewart,Robby Gordon, andWalker Evans (racing driver). Beginning in the early 1980s, bothTNT Motorsports and theUnited States Hot Rod Association held events showcasing mud bogging, truck and tractor pulling, and monster trucks in the Astrodome. After a buy-out of TNT Motorsports, the USHRA continued holding events that would later transform into the currentMonster Jam events.
USAC held the Astro Grand Prix as part of theNational Midget Championship in the Astrodome on a temporary1⁄4-mile dirt oval—which was called the Eighth Wonder International Motor Speedway.Gary Bettenhausen and Lee Kunzman won the feature races in 1969, while Tom Bigelow won the overall event championship.[66] The event returned for 1970, hometown favoriteA. J. Foyt won the feature race.[67] Bettenhausen won the final edition in 1972.
With the opening ofNRG Stadium in late 2002, the events held in early 2002 by AMA Supercross and Monster Jam would be their last in the Astrodome before moving next door for 2003, where they continue to hold events every year.
Domecoming
On April 9, 2018, the Astrodome was used as a museum for the event known as "Domecoming".[68]
The Astrodome was renowned for its four-story "Astrolite" scoreboard, composed of thousands of light bulbs that featured animation. After every Astros home run, the scoreboard played a minute-long animated celebration of pistols, bulls, and fireworks.[75] The scoreboard remained intact until 1988, whenHouston Oilers (nowTennessee Titans) ownerBud Adams suggested its removal to accommodate increased capacity for football, baseball and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.Harris County spent $67 million of public funds on renovations.[76] Approximately 15,000 new seats resembling the 1970s rainbow uniform pattern were installed to bringseating capacity to almost 60,000 for football. On September 6,1988, a final celebration commemorating the scoreboard occurred prior to expansion renovations commencing.
The playing surface was originally Tifway 419Bermuda grass, bred for indoor use. The dome ceiling contained thousands of semi-transparentLucite panes.[77] Players soon complained that glare from the panes made it hard for them to track fly balls; to solve the problem, two sections of panes were painted white in April.[77][78] Unfortunately, within a few months the grass died from lack of sunlight.[79] For most of the1965 season, the Astros played on green-painted dirt and dead grass. Even before then, the grass tended to hold, then release moisture. The resulting condensation often forced games to be delayed while the grounds crews cleaned up the playing surface.
The solution was to install a new type of artificial grass on the field,ChemGrass, which became known asAstroTurf, named after the stadium. Because the supply of AstroTurf was limited, only a small amount was available at the start of the1966 season. There was not enough for the entire outfield, so the first phase covered only the traditional grass portion of the infield and foul territory,[80] at a cost of $2 per square foot. It was installed in time to test out during exhibition games against the Dodgers in March.[81][82][83][84][85] The outfield remained painted dirt until after theAll-Star Game. The Astros completed a seven-game home stand on Wednesday, July 6, then went on a road trip on both sides of the All-Star break. The installation of the outfield portion of AstroTurf was completed for the three-game series with the Phillies starting on Tuesday, July 19, finally covering the entire field.[86][87][88] Groundskeepers dressed as astronauts kept the turf clean with vacuum cleaners between innings. The infield design had the same large dirt arc and running paths as a traditional natural grass field.
In1973, the Astros installed an all-AstroTurf infield, except for dirt patches around the bases. This "sliding pit" configuration was introduced byCincinnati with the opening ofRiverfront Stadium on June 30, 1970. It was then installed in the new stadiums inPhiladelphia in1971, andKansas City in1973. The artificial turf fields ofPittsburgh,St. Louis, andSan Francisco, all installed in 1970, were traditionally configured like the Astrodome and later changed to sliding pits. San Francisco converted in1971, Pittsburgh in1973, and St. Louis in1978.Rogers Centre in Toronto was the last park in the majors to have sliding pits; it opened in1989 and switched to a traditional dirt skin infield in2016.
Throughout its history, the Astrodome was known as apitcher's park. The power alleys were never shorter than 370 feet (113 m) from the plate; on at least two occasions they were as far as 390 feet (119 m). Over time, it gave up fewer home runs than any other park in the National League.[10] The Astrodome's reputation as a pitcher's park continued even in the mid-1980s, when the fences were moved in closer than theMetrodome, which had been long reckoned as a hitter's park.
|
|
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Home of the Houston Oilers 1968–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Home of the Houston Astros 1965–1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Home of the Bluebonnet Bowl 1968–1984 1987 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Finals Venue 1971 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the MLB All-Star Game 1968 1986 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the NBA All-Star Game 1989 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host ofWrestleMania 2001 | Succeeded by |
Former stadiums of the National Football League | |
|---|---|
| Early era: 1920–1940 |
|
| Post-war and pre-merger era: 1941–1969 |
|
| Current era: 1970–present |
|
| Stadiums used by NFL teams temporarily |
|
†= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time | |
