The Astrodome is a Symbol of Houston’s Dysfunction
Houstonians tend to be proud people and they should be. Houston is a great city with a “can-do” spirit and for the most part, we typically have a thriving economy. Houston is the energy capital of the world and home to the world renowned Texas Medical Center and Johnson Space Center. We have a lot to be proud of and oh yes, the Astrodome, the “eighth wonder of the word” the first-ever domed stadium, that closed in 1999 and has for the most part been sitting and rotting away ever since, costing taxpayers millions of dollars after several failed initiatives to do something meaningful with the site and structure.
Some people in Houston have a chip on their shoulders in regard to people from other parts of the country’s perception of the city. Houston isn’t routinely mentioned in the same sentence as New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, or Los Angeles as one of the country’s great cities. All of those aforementioned cities have their own issues to grapple with like any major urban area. Then there is the whole rivalry with Dallas thing, which I believe is at least partially rooted in the history of the city’s two NFL franchises. I have always said that the city of Houston has somewhat of a public relations problem when it comes to its image.
I help companies secure office space in this city for a living and often encounter people and clients who have never visited Houston before. Typically, they will say to me, ” I didn’t realize how nice of a city Houston is!” What nobody asks me when they visit this city is, “Can we drive by the Astrodome?” While I think the city’s image has improved significantly over the last 10-20 years, there is still room for improvement, but preserving the Astrodome is not going to help.
When I make the trip from the burbs to the Texas Medical Center for a meeting or to my office in the Galleria area and I drive by the Astrodome, sitting there rotting for the last 20 years to me it is a symbol of Houston’s dysfunction. Really, this is our treasure, our greatest historical structure? We can do better. In my opinion, it is nothing more than an eye sore and waste of space. I do admit the “eighth wonder of the world” is one of the greatest branding campaigns of all time.
Those of us in the real estate business understand the concept of highest & best use. Yes, I agree that a historical landmark can be the highest and best use for cultural reasons and not economic, it’s just not the case with the Astrodome, it should be a parking lot.
Like most cities Houston has built newer modern stadium venues over time, NRG Stadium, Minute Maid Park, and the Toyota Center, these are all great places to watch our sports teams and other events. Well parking at NRG Stadium, there is nothing pleasant about that, which is all the more reason to tear down the Astrodome as its rotting structure sits adjacent to NRG stadium.
The Houston Astros ‘ home field in all five of their world series appearances was Minute Maid Park and the Houston Rockets won both of their NBA titles playing in the Summit, it is a church now!. The first time Houston hosted a super bowl in 1974, they played it at Rice Stadium, not the Astrodome. Earl Campbell is no longer rambling down the sidelines of the Astrodome, Nolan Ryan is not serving up 100-mile-per-hour fastballs and pitching no-hitters nor is George Strait singing of one his hundreds of hit songs at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.
These are all things that I have witnessed growing up in this city and I have fond memories of the Astrodome. However, I don’t have to travel Loop 610 and put my eyeballs on this eye-sore to remind me of those great experiences. In New York City, they tore down Yankee Stadium a venue with more history than the Astrodome and built a new more modern Yankee Stadium.
I would speculate that 70-75% of Houston area residents have never taken one step inside the Astrodome, either because they are too young or they have relocated to Houston from some other area of the country since its closing in 1999.
Why Don’t They Just Tear It Down?
The answer is that it is not that simple. The long now-defunct Houston Astrodome, known as the “Eighth Wonder of the World” upon completed in 1965. It is now listed as a National Historic Building being the first domed stadium in the world. In January 2017 the Texas Historical Commission (THC) unanimously voted to designate the Dome a state antiquities landmark, meaning just like the Alamo and the State Capitol, you can’t knock down or even alter the stadium without a THC permit.
This is where I disagree with the proponents of preserving the Astrodome, the fact that it was the first domed stadium, doesn’t merit continuing to waste millions of tax-payer dollars on this useless structure. Something should be built on NRG Park campus commemorating this engineering and construction marvel at the time and its place in Houston history, something “much-much” smaller that allows for smarter use of the land it now sits on.
Houston really is a progressive city and like all great cities we have our dilemmas, the Astrodome should not be one of them.
