HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The Astrodome Conservancy unveiled its plan for the future of the Astrodome on Wednesday.
This is the latest attempt to do something with the Houston landmark that has been closed to the public for 15 years.
Wednesday’s unveiling is a $1 billion plan known as “Vision: Astrodome,” which includes four state-of-the-art buildings under the Astrodome’s roof and a retail village.
Part of the inspiration is the High Line in New York — with a boulevard that would cut through the Dome and connect to other NRG buildings.
Renderings from the Astrodome Conservancy, a nonprofit geared towards the preservation and redevelopment of the stadium that opened in 1965, show what that vision will look like.
The conservancy’s founder says she’s hopeful the project can attract “significant private dollars” to minimize the burden on taxpayers. Their plan is for $750 million to come from private sources.
“So the Astrodome is at the heart of NRG Park,” Gensler Houston co-managing director Jerry Alexander said Wednesday. “While some see it as a relic or a hindrance, we actually see it as a catalyst for a redevelopment of the entire NRG Park.”
If you’re new to the Bayou City – coming up with a plan for the 8th Wonder of the World is about as Houston as construction, traffic, and experiencing all four seasons in one day.
In 2023, we heard about an entertainment village that would include a brewery.
In 2021, the Astrodome Conservancy launched a campaign to see what people would want. Responses included an event space.
In 2018, Harris County commissioners approved a $105 million plan in hopes of making an event center a reality, complete with a parking garage.
In 2015, local officials traveled to Germany’s Tropical Islands indoor park in hopes of bringing back that concept.
The Astrodome has a storied history. It was home to the Houston Astros from 1965 to 1999. It’s also where the Houston Oilers played and where Muhammad Ali boxed in the late 1960s.
It was also home to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, where Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla played her last major concert in 1995.
The Astrodome’s final act was in 2005 when it hosted Hurricane Katrina evacuees. It officially closed its doors in 2009. The conservancy says the Dome is structurally sound, free of asbestos, and paid off.
Did you know ABC13’s studio at 3310 Bissonnet Street inspired the construction of the Astrodome?
On Oct. 6, 1960, Judge Roy Hofheinz and Houston architect Herman Lloyd were on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony of ABC13’s new studios on Bissonnet — the home of the station to this day. Lloyd was responsible for the design, which was called a “state-of-the-art television station of tomorrow.”
The building’s lobby and the main offices overlooked a landscaped patio, complete with palm trees and even a pool. But the creme-de-la-creme of the building was its domed roof, which housed two full-sized television studios.
ABC13’s domed design fascinated Judge Hofheinz, who had just secured a professional baseball franchise for Houston and dreamed of building the team a new indoor stadium.
Hofheinz reached out to Herman Lloyd to build the new stadium, with a domed roof, just like ABC13’s.
ABC13 moved into its domed building four years before the Astrodome.
The Astrodome building is owned by Harris County, so the conservancy is asking supporters to email their county commissioner to gain support of the plan.
There’s also the rodeo and the Texans that would have a say. HoustonRodeo told ABC13’s news partners at the Houston Chronicle that they haven’t worked with the conservancy in over a year.
