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Astrodome Fact Sheet Spring / Summer 2021 Page 1 / 7 English

History of the

The Astrodome is ’s most significant architectural Houston Oilers and cultural asset. Opened in 1965, and soon nicknamed the “8th Wonder of the World,” the world’s first domed was conceived to protect sports spectators from Houston’s heat, humidity, and frequent inclement weather. The brainchild of then-Houston Mayor , the former Harris County Judge assembled a team to finance and develop the Dome, with the help of R.E. Bob Smith, who owned the land the Astrodome was built on and was instrumental in bringing professional ’ Colt 45s (now the Astros) to Houston. The Astrodome was the first Harris County facility specifically designed and built as a racially integrated building, playing an important role in the desegregation of Houston during the Civil Rights Movement. football configuration The Astrodome was revolutionary for its time as the first fully enclosed and air conditioned multi-purpose sports - an Football Between 1968 and 1996, the Houston Oilers engineering feat of epic proportions. The innovation, audacity, called1965 1968 the Dome home as well, until1996 the franchise left town2021 and “can-do” at mid-Century was embodied to become the . It served several other in the Astrodome. It was home to multiple professional and professional football teams, including the amateur sports teams and events over the years, as well in 1974, the from 1984 to 1985, and the as hosting the annual Houston Livestock Show and (an independent women’s football team) (HLSR), concerts, community and political events. When from 2002 to 2006. The Astrodome hosted University of the skylights that make up the roof of the Dome prevented collegiate football between 1965 and from seeing fly balls, they were quickly painted 1997, and from 1968 until 1984, the annual Astro-Blue over causing the turf grasses that covered the field to die. Bonnet Bowl was held there. The solution? Astroturf -- a chemical product developed to simulate real turf grass without the maintenance and Houston Livestock dependence on sunlight. The Astrodome was also the first Show and Rodeo sports stadium in the county to feature luxury skyboxes and suites for owners and super-fans, as well as levels and levels of themed dining and drinking options.

rodeo configuration

Rodeo From 1966 until 2002, the Astrodome was the primary venue1966 for the Houston Livestock Show 2002and Rodeo. With all2021 configuration the space and configurations available inside the Dome, the HLSR grew to be one of the largest and most recognized Baseball The Astrodome was home to the Houston Astros livestock and roping events in the country. NRG Park is still from1965 1965’s MLB until1999 the close of the 19992021 the home of the HLSR, which includes contractual rights to . It also hosted MLB All-Star games in 1968 and 1986. the Astrodome.

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History of the Astrodome

Basketball The occupied the Astrodome Ali vs Williams part-time between 1971 and 1975. It hosted multiple other notable basketball games, such as the first nationally televised collegiate basketball game - 1968’s “Game of the Century” between the UCLA Bruins and the Cougars, and the 1989 NBA All-Star Game.

Soccer In 1967 and 1968, the soccer team played in the Astrodome, followed by the Houston Hurricanes from 1978 to 1980.

The Astrodome played host to many other significant cultural events and historical milestones:

Boxing In 1966, in the heavyweight title fight, knocked out “Big Cat” Williams. Ali returned Ali vs Williams configuration to the Dome again in 1967 and 1970, facing Refugee Shelter and . 1966 2021 Motorcycling The Astrodome hosted many motocross races over the years, and in 1971, jumped his motorcycle over a record 13 cars two nights in a row.

Tennis In 1973, defeated in the legendary “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match broadcast on national television.

Concerts The Astrodome hosted concerts such as in 1965, in 1970 and 1974 (with record audiences), The Jackson Five in 1973, multiple Rolling Stones’ concerts in 1981, 1989, and 1994, Selina’s last performance before her death in 1995, and George Katrina refugee shelter Strait in 2002 -- his final performance in the Astrodome and the venue’s last concert before closing its doors. 1965 2005 2021 Astros (1965-99) Political Events The 1992 Republican National Convention, which saw President George H.W. Bush nominated for HLSR (1968-96) reelection, pointed the eyes of the nation on Houston and Oilers (1966-2002) the Astrodome. Major Concerts (1965-2002) Wrestling In 2001, the Astrodome hosted Wrestlemania Ali vs Williams (1966) X-Seven in which “Stone Cold” Steve Austin defeated the Houston Stars & Hurricanes Rock in the WWF Championship. (1967-68 & 1978-80) Evel Knievel (1971) Disaster Relief In 2005, the Astrodome served as refuge Rockets (1971-75) for thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees from Battle of the Sexes (1973) after they were rescued from and coastal areas and brought to Houston. A fitting final act for the Astrodome RNC (1992) who’s doors were opened to all since the beginning. Wrestlemania (2001) Hurricane Katrina Closed Lacking a Certificate of Occupancy, the Astrodome Refugee Shelter (2005) officially closed its doors in 2009. The Dome has remained Empty (2009-21) empty since then, awaiting a viable new use. 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

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What’s Next?

Since its closing in 2009, there have been many ideas Who Owns the Dome? proposed for the reuse of the Dome, including a hotel, event The Astrodome and NRG Park are owned, maintained, and convention space, festival space, amateur sports arena, and operated by Harris County. NRG Park has two primary theme park, movie studio, venue, museum, tenants, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the park or recreation space, disaster relief space, and, sadly, Houston Texans. Their leases run through 2032, and give its demolition. So far, none of these proposals have been them a lot of influence over how the site is operated, including presented with viable funding sources that work within the and impacting the Astrodome. current operational structure of NRG Park. What is the Astrodome Conservancy? In 2013, after being closed for several years, a $217 million In 2016, the Astrodome Conservancy was founded as proposal to convert the Astrodome into a multi-use event the champion of the landmark Astrodome on behalf of space was narrowly defeated by Harris County voters. the people of Houston and Harris County. As a private, In 2013 and 2014, the Astrodome was named a National non-profit organization, their mission is to promote Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Astrodome’s legacy through preservation and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 2017, development, advocate for public access, and create the Astrodome was designated a State Antiquities programming that inspires and engages. And the Landmark, effectively securing its future on the Houston Conservancy wants the Astrodome to be dynamic and landscape and paving the way for redevelopment. accessible to all. Since 2019, they have been working diligently to explore In 2018, a pared-down $105 million version of the 2013 alternative financing tools for redevelopment, perform proposal was approved by Harris County Commissioners public outreach, identify possible energy alternatives Court. This version proposed a multi-use event floor brought and incentives, and build partnerships locally and up to ground level with two levels of parking underneath. nationally to support reinvestment in the Eighth Wonder of the World. In 2020, the Astrodome Conservancy In 2019, the project was put on hold due to concerns over raised enough private funds to launch this community the usability of the Dome once re-opened. Currently, it engagement campaign to understand what the public is estimated that the Dome costs less than 1% of Harris envisions for the future of the Astrodome. County’s annual budget to maintain and operate each year. Harris County Commissioners Court has expressed the need What is ‘Future Dome’ and What Are We Trying to Do? for an Astrodome reuse and redevelopment plan that does “Future Dome” is a two-month long community not require significant public capital investment, will generate engagement campaign where we are asking for your revenue to offset expenses, and one that has public benefit. input on the future of the Astrodome through a series of surveys, engagement activities, informative materials, and public meetings. The information provided here How do you think we is aimed at giving you the information you need to formulate informed opinions and helpful feedback, but should use the Dome? our main goal is to listen to you, the public.

The results of this campaign will be used to develop and demonstrate support for an innovative, feasible, and community-backed approach to the reuse of the Dome. Let’s make it ours!

repurpose possibilities

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Funding & Public Benefit

There are several constraints that make preserving and reusing the Astrodome challenging. It is important to understand these constraints so that we can ensure that NRG Park we propose a new use that will take these constraints into is 350 acres account and be a viable option for reuse. Funding and public benefit are two very important topics. Although they may not initially seem like they should be grouped together, for the Astrodome, they are intertwined and theit’s Astrodome in the is represent a very significant -off. middle of a big site Astrodome The Astrodome and NRG Park are owned, maintained, and operated by Harris County. The Dome currently costs Harris County money to maintain and operate, so the County wants a plan that will produce some revenue and provide more public benefit. It is important to the County that any public money that goes into the building be justified by public benefit. Public benefit can be defined as anything that has a positive effect on people and/ or communities. It can include uses for things like arts, culture, charity, education, medicine, or science. The county will not help fund any reuse of the Astrodome that does not benefit the public in some way. east-west access across the site

There have been lots of proposals for how to reuse the Dome since it closed in 2009, but many of them do not provide public benefit. There may be other, private sources of funding that could be secured to fund the reuse of the 4 star hotels Herman Park Dome. However, reusing the Dome for a private, profitable West U Branch Library use - like a hotel for example - seems unlikely to work. Private uses require private owners and developers and Neighborhood Library financing, none of which have stepped up or shown Community Center any interest in reusing the Dome in the twelve years that South Side it has sat vacant. For a private company or developer, reusing the Dome, especially with the Texans and Rodeo Astrodome event restrictions (see “Events” fact sheet for more Schweppe Park information about these restrictions), is not a financially Linkwood sound investment without subsidy from public money. It is Community Center unlikely that the Astrodome will be sold to a private entity or developer, so focusing on reuses that benefit the public 1/2 mile and can leverage limited public investment with private Rise South Campus 1 mile dollars is an ideal route forward. Sunnyside Community To the right is a map of some of the amenities near the Center Wildcat Golf Club Astrodome, like parks, community center, libraries, 2 museums, and amateur sport facilities that are open to the public in some capacity. Four Star and better hotels are Park Entertainment Sports also included. Understanding what amenities already exist can give better insight into what will be most useful for the Community Center Library/Museum Hotel (4+ star) immediate community in terms of public benefit. map of public amenities and services near the Astrodome

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Location

There are several constraints that make preserving and Astrodome from any street is roughly equivalent to walking 5 reusing the Astrodome challenging. It is important to or 6 downtown city blocks — almost a quarter of a mile. understand these constraints so that we can ensure that we propose a new use that will take these constraints This also means that if some kind of public access to the into account and be a viable option for reuse. Location is Dome was created, it would bisect NRG park and make it one of these constraints. The location of the Astrodome much more challenging for the Houston Livestock Show within NRG Park also goes hand-in-hand with how the and Rodeo and Houston Texans to host their activities. This events that take place there affect how we can use the does not make accessing the Astrodome impossible, but Dome in the future. See the “Events” Fact Sheet for more it will require substantial negotiation and partnership from information about events. the Rodeo and the Texans.

NRG Park contains the NRG Stadium, the NRG Arena, the NRG Center, and the NRG Astrodome. The Astrodome is NRG Park = located in the center of NRG Park, surrounded by parking. This is significant because the NRG Park is private land 108 downtown blocks that is fenced off from the public. As such, tickets have always been required for access to the Astrodome. Some of the ideas that have been proposed for the Astrodome include uses that would only work if the public has easy and affordable (if not free) access to the Dome.

City Hall Allowing public access to the Astrodome is challenging because of the Dome’s position at the center of the site, since it does not have any adjacency to public space like a street or pedestrian path. This is exacerbated by the size of NRG Park. NRG Park is a total of 350 acres of land, which is roughly equivalent to 108 blocks (approximately a third of the area of Downtown Houston) or the entire Downtown Convention District, including BBVA Stadium, Park, Discovery Green, GRB Convention Center, and Toyota Center. To get to the roughly 108 downtown blocks

NRG Park NRG Park = is 350 acres convention district

theit’s Astrodome in the is BBVA Stadium middle of a big site Astrodome

Discovery Green

Convention Center

Toyota Center

350 acres of land Downtown sports / convention

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Size

There are several constraints that make preserving and reusing the Astrodome challenging. It is important to understand these constraints so that any new use proposed from the Future Dome exercise will take these constraints ts the Toyota Center ts 10 City Halls into account and be a viable option for reuse. The size of the Astrodome is one of these constraints.

The Astrodome is Huge The Astrodome is 9 stories tall, 3 of which are below ground, and has a total floor area of 1 million square feet. The interior of the Dome is 208 feet tall and has a clear span fits the Toyota Center fits 10 City Hall buildings (no columns) of 642 feet across. To provide you with a visualization of those dimensions, the Astrodome’s footprint is similar in size to Houston’s Discovery Green Park. It can easily fit the Toyota Center inside it with room to spare, especially above, and it can fit 10 City Hall buildings or 168 Whataburger stores (and that’s being conservative!).

During its prime, the Astrodome could seat 70,000 spectators similar in size to in a variety of configurations and seating options. Discovery Green

Impacts on Future Reuse Astrodome The massive size of the Astrodome is a consideration when considering what type of uses will be best suited. The area is significantly greater than many single uses would require (bigger than a typical hotel, museum, or exhibition hall), which lends itself to a multi-purpose reuse or a larger- scale reuse such as a theme park, convention center, or neighborhood park. In addition to the floor space, there is more than 400,000 square feet of space in the 9 stories of concourses surrounding the floor.

ts 168 Whataburgers

Discovery Green

fits 168 Whataburger stores similar in size to Discovery Green

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Events

There are several constraints that make preserving Houston Texans and reusing the Astrodome challenging. It is important The Texans have contractual rights to all of NRG Park, to understand these constraints so that any new use except the Astrodome. Although they cannot use proposed from the Future Dome exercise will take these the Astrodome itself, they do utilize all of the parking constraints into account and be a viable option for reuse. surrounding the structure. This blocks access to the Dome The Astrodome and NRG Park are owned, maintained, and on game days. operated by Harris County. However, NRG Park has two primary tenants, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Impacts on Future Reuse (HLSR) and the Houston Texans. Their current contracts Given their current contractual rights, the amount of time give them complete control of the site during special the HLSR and the Texans block access to the Astrodome events and game days and present hurdles to the Dome’s make it difficult to propose private uses such as retail, redevelopment right now. restaurants, and hotels inside the Dome. Private uses like Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo these rely on a steady customer base and likely would not be able close down for significant chunks of time. HLSR can use any part of NRG Park, including the Astrodome, during their time on site each spring (about HLSR and the Texans will continue to be the anchor 2 months, including set-up and take-down time). They tenants of NRG Park, so any reuse of the Astrodome needs currently use the entire site except for the interior of the to be compatible with (and hopefully have the support of) Astrodome. They would appreciate being able to use the both groups. Astrodome as well in the future.

space the space the Rodeo can use Texans can use

NRG Center NRG Center

NRG Stadium NRG Stadium Astrodome Astrodome

NRG Arena NRG Arena

area Rodeo can use area Texans can use

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Preservation Original 1965

There are several constraints that make preserving and reusing the Astrodome challenging. It is important to understand these constraints so that any new use proposed from the Future Dome exercise will take these constraints into account and be a viable option for reuse. Preservation is more of a goal than a constraint, but there are elements of preservation that introduce some challenges.

This Has Not Been Done Before The Astrodome’s redevelopment will be as cutting-edge and innovative as it was when it was conceived and built. There are no examples in the U.S. of buildings of this size and scale being redeveloped successfully. Examples of successful projects that are similar in scope are often 1965 original Astrodome looked to for help in evaluating feasibility of a current project. Without a successful example of a similar scale, the Dome faces hurdles to identifying compatible reuses and viable funding sources. 4 towers added for The Astrodome Is Protected from Demolition pedestrian ramps removed in 2013 The Astrodome is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and is designated a Texas State Antiquities Landmark, which essentially protects it from wholesale demolition. The Dome is also structurally sound and is added culturally significant, which makes it a perfect candidate 10,000 seats for reuse. removed original Impacts on Future Reuse scoreboard Still, there are some challenges to reuse in the Dome’s current state. While the building is structurally sound and its defining architectural features - the exterior screening and pillars, the roof and skylights, the volume of the space rebuilt and extended under the Dome - are in good condition, the electrical and the concourse and replaced the facade mechanical systems are in need of repair and replacement. As technology advances and energy conservation becomes a priority, renovations and rehabilitation work should 1988-89 - major renovations consider new and alternative systems that might not fit into the same design as original systems.

Historic preservation and rehabilitation standards will impact resealed metal roof what and to what degree the historic integrity of the Dome replaced skylights can be altered, but they will not impact the ability to reuse the Dome. And in many cases, financial incentives for historic preservation can bring much-needed funding to a project like this. Preserving the character-defining design elements that make the Dome the Dome - its roof, the screens removed all 4 towers surrounding the exterior, the feeling you got when you 1974-74 - re-sealed Astrodome 2013 - the four circulation towers walked into that massive space - not only allow the building and replaced the skylights were demolished to continue to tell its story for future generations, but it can also bring much-needed financial resources to the project.

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