[citykid09]

Here is a link from 002 Magazine: http://www.002mag.co..._res%20(11).htm

I like that I idea! I would like to see more movies and TV productions taped in the Houston area. Maybe they could tape some TV shows there with a live studio audience. That could bring tourist to the city.

[KimberlySayWhat]

It was only one woman's proposal. The story was on channel 11 a couple of weeks ago and it's discussed in the Astrodome thread here. The dome's future is still up in the air.

I like the studio idea. Usually things I would like to see don't happen. I'm sure ultimately it'll be a gool 'ol, grand ol' Texas theme hotel. Wee haa! Let's watch some football.

[Karick42]

I'm all for it. The Astrodome is symbolic of Houston and I think it should stay. It doesn't matter how old it is, I always enjoy seeing it when I drive by it.

[houstonmacbro]

Turn that sucker into a red-light district. Make it the red-light district to end them all and force all the seedy nightclubs, t*tty bars, and bookstores/head-shops to relocate there.

Pros
It would be self-contained
Has a metro-rail right to its doors
Is self-contained ... oh, I said that already

Cons
None I can think of

[infinite_jim]

Demo it and pave a parking lot.

It's the Houston tradition

I'm serious.

[crunchtastic]

I'm pretty sure I've thrown this out before:
world's largest indoor grow house.

Completely serious.

[barracuda]

It seems like most of the public ideas proposed for the Astrodome have been kind of cheesy, but I like the idea of a film and entertainment hub. It's something Houston doesn't have, yet it seems realistic and like something that would actually be used.

[KimberlySayWhat]

There's already a website up, but all it says right now is "coming soon".

They have a logo and everything, though.

http://www.astrodome...tionstudios.com

I want to see this happen, but for some reason I can't. I expect 20 years from how we'll still be talking about what to do with the dome, if it's not a parking not by then. I hate being pessimistic.

It has a MySpace, too:
http://profile.myspa...endID=203362342

This post has been edited by KimberlySayWhat: Friday, September 5, 2008 at 12:11 PM

[rsb320]

There's an interesting article here http://swamplot.com/...2-13/#more-6434 showing possible configurations for the dome if used for a movie studio.

[N Judah]

They should shell it except for the basic structure and make it into a park (with lots of overgrown greenery) built upon the ruins of where the astrodome once was. It will be like our Roman Coliseum except bigger and with landscaping.

[rsb320]

N Judah, on Friday, February 13th, 2009 @ 1:29pm, said:

They should shell it except for the basic structure and make it into a park (with lots of overgrown greenery) built upon the ruins of where the astrodome once was. It will be like our Roman Coliseum except bigger and with landscaping.

Do you know why Astroturf was invented? The grass died!

[crunchtastic]

I still like my giant grow-house idea best.

We're Houston! We do things big, so turn the Astrodome into the planet's biggest hydroponic indoor farm.

[N Judah]

rsb320, on Friday, February 13th, 2009 @ 12:58pm, said:

Do you know why Astroturf was invented? The grass died!

If we kill the Astrodome, the grass can live again.

[rsb320]

crunchtastic, on Friday, February 13th, 2009 @ 2:06pm, said:

I still like my giant grow-house idea best.

We're Houston! We do things big, so turn the Astrodome into the planet's biggest hydroponic indoor farm.

Yeah, the world's biggest Co-Op/Farmers Market. Organic, of course.

[N Judah]

rsb320, on Friday, February 13th, 2009 @ 1:18pm, said:

Yeah, the world's biggest Co-Op/Farmers Market. Organic, of course.

That could be part of my park idea. I have never been to an indoor Farmer's market, which makes me think the people who sell stuff at those prefer the outdoors. Part of it could also be used as a venue for outdoor concerts.

[Urbannizer]

N Judah, on Friday, February 13th, 2009 @ 3:29pm, said:

They should shell it except for the basic structure and make it into a park (with lots of overgrown greenery) built upon the ruins of where the astrodome once was. It will be like our Roman Coliseum except bigger and with landscaping.

There's much more land in and around Houston that can be turned into a park with overgrown greenery. We do'nt need anymore parks! (For now)


Also the website has been updated!

http://www.astrodome...ionstudios.com/

This post has been edited by UpuPUp!: Friday, February 13, 2009 at 6:04 PM

[Trae]

I definitely dig that movie studio idea.

[texas911]

Gut the inside and turn it into the world's largest dog park.

[citykid09]

I still like the studio idea, but second if that doesn't go through, how about turning it into Houston's central transit station? I think the Compaq Center would have been good for that.

[secretsquirrel]

citykid09, on Saturday, February 14th, 2009 @ 3:55pm, said:

I still like the studio idea, but second if that doesn't go through, how about turning it into Houston's central transit station? I think the Compaq Center would have been good for that.

The movie studio would be a great way to keep a part of Houston's history alive. I wish I could have hit up Astro world before it's demise. A restaurant on Hwy 6 still has The Penguin's duck mobile from the Batman ride out in front

[Urbannizer]

KimberlySayWhat, on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 @ 9:35am, said:

It was only one woman's proposal.

This woman's proposal has went very far.

I think this will happen, The Houston City Council will most likely pass this pretty quick knowing them;anything with great potential and brings money into Houston and Texas will get the Houston City Council and the Bill Whites attention. It will be presented to them next month.

Here's the KHOU video from August 08

http://www.khou.com/...age.6acf34.html

This post has been edited by UpuPUp!: Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 6:10 PM

[liammclaren]

N Judah, on Friday, February 13th, 2009 @ 1:29pm, said:

They should shell it except for the basic structure and make it into a park (with lots of overgrown greenery) built upon the ruins of where the astrodome once was. It will be like our Roman Coliseum except bigger and with landscaping.

Poetic idea. I like it.

[tierwestah]

I definitely hope this happens but doesnt 200 million seem low funding for this type of project?

[Urbannizer]

You guys should complete and submit a petition, they need as much support they can get.

http://www.astrodome...?...r&Itemid=51

This post has been edited by UpuPUp!: Friday, February 20, 2009 at 10:31 PM

[jerryartic2112]

tierwestah, on Friday, February 20th, 2009 @ 8:37pm, said:

I definitely hope this happens but doesnt 200 million seem low funding for this type of project?

It does seem kind of low. You would think that they would need about double that amount to fund a project of this magnitude.

[KMAN458]

rsb320, on Friday, February 13th, 2009 @ 2:58pm, said:

Do you know why Astroturf was invented? The grass died!

but that was only after they painted over alot of the glass panels because players were complaining that they could not see the ball in the air.

[citykid09]

abc13 mentioned it again today.

[Urbannizer]

Quote

...And in classic think-big fashion, one massive structure already has been erected with a potential 140,000-square-foot soundstage -- and it's ready for immediate use. That's the Houston Astrodome, which the Greater Houston Global Management Group is organizing for productions.

"It's a giant open barn," GHGMG founder Elise Hendrix says. "It's exactly what we need. It can turn an immediate revenue. It's ready right now."

The company will renovate the interior (one-time concession stands can't currently substitute for production offices), but Hendrix indicates they will submit their final proposals to the county very shortly.

"They're as anxious to get this show on the road as we are, because no one's paying any rent over there," GHGMG vp Cynthia Neely says.

So if you build it -- and that includes constructing a workable incentive -- will they come? Texans seem to have little doubt that, with some attention, the Lone Star State won't be lone much longer. But, says Hudgins, the window of opportunity will not be open forever -- not with that legislature meeting so infrequently.


"If we don't do something effective this time, we'll have to wait until 2011, and I fear by that time we'll have 50% of our workforce working out of state," he says. "It'll get to the point where it's really hard for us to recover. It's now or never."

http://www.onlyinhou...rg/en/art/2281/

[PapillionWyngs]

Demo it and pave a parking lot.

It's the Houston tradition

I'm serious.

Me too!

[citykid09]

UpuPUp!, on Saturday, April 11th, 2009 @ 7:27am, said:

http://www.onlyinhou...rg/en/art/2281/

I hope this happens, I have always hoped for Television and movie productions in Houston.

[Urbannizer]

More info has been added on the website about each floor level.

Quote

Sound Stage
Over 90,000 square feet of sound stage space will be available for major film and video productions, whether to accommodate one gigantic set construction or divided into smaller, multiple sets.

The sound stage area allows for easy access to production offices, dressing rooms, post-production studios, secure storage, equipment rental, and vendors of every description that surround the production area. Props, lighting, sound equipment, and set personnel can be easily moved to any set location on the sound stage.

Offices and Studios
Three levels of the Astrodome will be built out and leased as office and vendor space, equivalent to approximately 600,000 sq. ft. Tenants can include production companies, radio and television stations, post-production studios, sound labs, digital animation studios, film processing, props manufacturing, talent agencies, camera and equipment rental, wardrobe and makeup studios, and virtually any support service associated with the industry.

Space options can be standard or customized. Any type of business associated with film, broadcast media, or production will find Astrodome Studios as the best option to support their professional trade. Along with the amenities that will be included, the tenants of Astrodome Studios will be pioneers– becoming part of the new center of commerce for the entertainment industry in Texas.

Museum Exhibits
Three levels will be dedicated to two museums for the public. The first museum will be the repository for all things Astrodome: the construction story of this building that forever changed the world of architecture, as well as the history of the Houston Astros baseball team for whom Astroturf was invented; the history of the world’s largest rodeo, the on-going Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo; and the star-studded events and performances that gained international attention.

As one museum is dedicated to preserving the structure's incomparable past, another museum will encompass the arts industry in the Astrodome’s visionary future which now centers on the magic-makers of motion pictures. This second museum will showcase the Lone Star State’s 80-plus years of movie and television production.

With galleries of memorabilia, props, costumes, posters, scripts, and video presentations, it’s a museum dedicated to the history of the moving image industry in Texas. The first film ever to win the Academy Award® for Best Picture, “Wings”, was shot in San Antonio in 1927.

The time has come to celebrate the state's moving image industry as well as the Texans who have worked in this industry–both in front of and behind the camera–for more than eight decades.

Events Stage
Because the building was originally a sports stadium–with several decks of theater-style seating–Astrodome Studios will easily provide a venue for special events requiring staging for large audiences. The events stage area will back up to the sound stage area allowing easy installation of props, lighting and sound equipment and providing exceptional viewing quality for the audience.

A sample of the events that could be held at Astrodome Studios: music and awards shows, large fashion shows, galas, television specials, horse shows, political debates and conventions, or televised fund-raising benefit concerts.

Storage
Convenient to the sound stage areas will be massive storage rooms for warehousing equipment and props. A large freight entrance ramp from the outside streets down to the sound stages will allow easy access for over-sized tractor trailers and cargo haulers.

Security will assure that all properties are well-cared for in this environmentally controlled storage area.

Parking
To facilitate parking and ease congestion of traffic with other events at the Reliant Center complex, engineers will create parking garages and spaces within the walls of the stadium.

Pre-existing structures and building design allow for this. Tenants will appreciate the all-weather parking garages that will be serviced by elevators to the office levels.

Restaurants
During the history of the Astrodome, thousands of people needed to eat during any event they attended.

With so many tenants planned for Astrodome Studios, and with major film productions working day and night, people will again need to eat, drink, and relax.

Leasing options located on three levels within the facilty will be available to restaurants and cafés. In addition, these food service tenants can become contracted for large-scale catering opportunities to support the film crews on location, or provide hospitality services for the big shows utilizing the events stage.

Fitness Center
Working on film and television projects can be intense and stressful. In order to keep everyone–from actors to directors to crew–at their peak levels, Astrodome Studios will have a full-service health and fitness center.

Along with the usual workout and aerobic areas, there are plans for a salon, spa, and massage therapy rooms as well as an indoor jogging track around the top deck of the building.

http://www.astrodome...?...7&Itemid=40

[citykid09]

This needs to happen. Houston is currently missing out on movie productions to other cities. Even movies that are set in Houston for the most part aren't taped in the city. With this place, it will allow lots of productions to be taped in the city.

[Urbannizer]

citykid09, on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 @ 10:57am, said:

This needs to happen. Houston is currently missing out on movie productions to other cities. Even movies that are set in Houston for the most part aren't taped in the city. With this place, it will allow lots of productions to be taped in the city.

I think this concept has a high potential of happening. The movie incetive bill was just passed so that defianetly helps and cities within the state like Houston begging for Movies to be taped here, is also a plus. I think the Houston City Council wll have alot of interest in this.

[wxman]

Looks like the dome is to become a movie studio....

http://swamplot.com/...2-13/#more-6434

[musicman]

this is still in the conceptual phase according to the article.

[sevfiv]

Topics combined..

[lockmat]

Letter from Judge Ed Emmett:

Quote

I've gotten good feedback recently on a television interview I did last week with KPRC-TV (Channel2), in which I told reporter Robert Arnold that I was actively soliciting public input on a variety of proposals for the Harris County Domed Stadium -- best known as the Astrodome, the area's iconic and beloved former sports stadium.

I said in the interview that I was hoping to reserve the Dome for public use, including the possibility of converting it into an indoor venue for the area's many cultural festivals. Houston and Harris County are famous for the Astrodome and for our many cultural festivals.

A number of folks have approached me in recent months about combining the two and using the Dome as a venue for many of the unique cultural, ethnic and community festivals we enjoy here.

And as we saw only too clearly last weekend, we in Harris County are extremely vulnerable to the vagaries of our weather. The International Festival suffered a pretty serious setback with the torrential rainfall we had Saturday. Having the Dome available for such eventualities seems to me a potential solution worth investigating.

Some of the major festival organizers have responded eagerly to the idea in informal discussions, so I'm now soliciting input from other organizers, civic groups, preservationists and the public at large.

At the same time, other groups are discussing museums, planetariums, studios and all sorts of public venues, but having the Dome as a multipurpose facility for everyone to enjoy would be tremendous. Of course, I imagine the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo would find it a useful venue too.

Readers may recall that the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation has been in negotiations with the Astrodome Redevelopment Corporation (ARC) about ARC's proposal to convert the stadium into a hotel - an idea that has not progressed in recent months. Although the idea is not dead, we now need to pursue all possibilities.

I don't expect the county commissioners and I to take any action on the Dome before reviewing the county's Capital Improvements Program on June 23.

http://blogs.chron.c...rve_the_as.html

[roadrunner]

lockmat, on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 @ 1:19pm, said:

Letter from Judge Ed Emmett:


http://blogs.chron.c...rve_the_as.html

Restoring the dome to be used as a backup for weather conflicted festivals is a waste. Plus, who would really want to go to a festival inside the Astrodome? The best use for this is easily the studio idea.

[lockmat]

roadrunner, on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 @ 12:34pm, said:

Restoring the dome to be used as a backup for weather conflicted festivals is a waste. Plus, who would really want to go to a festival inside the Astrodome?

I agree on inside festivals but I think he wants to host as a permanent residence for cultural activities, not just a backup. Or did I miss that part?

[roadrunner]

lockmat, on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 @ 1:42pm, said:

I agree on inside festivals but I think he wants to host as a permanent residence for cultural activities, not just a backup. Or did I miss that part?

If he's saying that, then I think that is an even worse idea. Festivals and other similar cultural activities are not meant to be indoors. The return the city would get for the money we put into it would be nowhere near worth the investment.

[crunchtastic]

No one is talking about this, but does Houston have a talent pool to support large scale filmmaking? The LA area has an entire economy that supports the film trade. Filming on location is one thing--but when it comes to soundstage work, or (especially) post-production work, why would a producer pay to relocate his talent when his talent AND his facilities already exist in the same location? I am concerned that 'Build it and they will come' won't apply, since, like the convention business, you're not attracting increasing buisness, you're trying to take the existing jobs away from someone else. Especially once you stop handing out the tax incentives. Has anyone looked at how much revenue from the film business Louisiana is pulling in now that they let the tax sweeteners expire? Who knows, it they can still make profits, they must have a good model.

I still say the best use for the Astrodome is agricultural. A giant grow house. We have abundant agricultural and engineering talent to make it state of the art. It would create jobs and consumables for the local retail market. And in terms of civic promotion, a massive public project contributing to sustainability would be much more newsworthy than a facility which exists to create yet more crappy content for the airwaves.

This post has been edited by crunchtastic: Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 1:29 PM

[KimberlySayWhat]

Besides tearing it down, at this point I don't even care what they do with the dome as long as it's not football or rodeo ralated or that hokey sounding Texas themed hotel. Just do something already.

[TheNiche]

crunchtastic, on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 @ 1:28pm, said:

No one is talking about this, but does Houston have a talent pool to support large scale filmmaking? The LA area has an entire economy that supports the film trade. Filming on location is one thing--but when it comes to soundstage work, or (especially) post-production work, why would a producer pay to relocate his talent when his talent AND his facilities already exist in the same location? I am concerned that 'Build it and they will come' won't apply, since, like the convention business, you're not attracting increasing buisness, you're trying to take the existing jobs away from someone else. Especially once you stop handing out the tax incentives. Has anyone looked at how much revenue from the film business Louisiana is pulling in now that they let the tax sweeteners expire? Who knows, it they can still make profits, they must have a good model.

You raise a valid point. We have more than our fair share of fine artists, but I've observed that the ones that try to make a leap into the commercial sector generally suck at it. It's a personality thing more than skill. They can't take criticism.

However, like yourself, I'm not willing to write off the whole idea. This is certainly an industry for which other state and local governments have tried to create effective relocation incentives, and it isn't exactly as though California is the cheapest place to do business. If the film industry would utilize it, I think that this would be a great idea. I just don't want for it to sit vacant 90% of the time. I'd say that the key to proving the validity of the concept is to set up a contract with a private management company that earns basically a break-even fee up until a certain performance threshold, after which they get a sizable cut of revenues that would otherwise have gone to Harris County. The Astrodome, itself, would be a symbol that is very easy to promote, but only if there's someone who is marketing it with a fire lit under his ass...and I don't trust a bureaucrat to that kind of job.

crunchtastic, on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 @ 1:28pm, said:

I still say the best use for the Astrodome is agricultural. A giant grow house. We have abundant agricultural and engineering talent to make it state of the art. It would create jobs and consumables for the local retail market. And in terms of civic promotion, a massive public project contributing to sustainability would be much more newsworthy than a facility which exists to create yet more crappy content for the airwaves.

That's not sexy enough to be politically feasible. Houstonians just aren't granola enough.

[20thStDad]

Texas loves us some executions, I say stage them at the dome and charge $10 admission. When not killing someone it can be a gigantic laser tag place.

[crunchtastic]

20thStDad, on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 @ 2:44pm, said:

Texas loves us some executions, I say stage them at the dome and charge $10 admission. When not killing someone it can be a gigantic laser tag place.

Running Man!!

[20thStDad]

crunchtastic, on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 @ 2:59pm, said:

Running Man!!

Exactly. Snazzy one-liners required.

[crunchtastic]

TheNiche, on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 @ 2:21pm, said:

That's not sexy enough to be politically feasible. Houstonians just aren't granola enough.

You are correct. There's no vision.

We'll probably will do the same ole thing, pump a bunch of capital into something we're not sure we can lease to capacity, subsidize it with tax favors, and on top of that, pay someone a cut to market it. It might as well be a mall.

[TheNiche]

crunchtastic, on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 @ 3:15pm, said:

You are correct. There's no vision.

It's not for lack of vision. The fact that the Astrodome was even built in the first place is a testament to that. It's just that we don't value hydroponics the way we value sports...or movies...or performing/visual arts...or even hockey.

[citykid09]

TheNiche, on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 @ 2:21pm, said:

You raise a valid point. We have more than our fair share of fine artists, but I've observed that the ones that try to make a leap into the commercial sector generally suck at it. It's a personality thing more than skill. They can't take criticism.

However, like yourself, I'm not willing to write off the whole idea. This is certainly an industry for which other state and local governments have tried to create effective relocation incentives, and it isn't exactly as though California is the cheapest place to do business. If the film industry would utilize it, I think that this would be a great idea. I just don't want for it to sit vacant 90% of the time. I'd say that the key to proving the validity of the concept is to set up a contract with a private management company that earns basically a break-even fee up until a certain performance threshold, after which they get a sizable cut of revenues that would otherwise have gone to Harris County. The Astrodome, itself, would be a symbol that is very easy to promote, but only if there's someone who is marketing it with a fire lit under his ass...and I don't trust a bureaucrat to that kind of job.



That's not sexy enough to be politically feasible. Houstonians just aren't granola enough.

I think that it could not only be useful for movies, but also in TV show production. Maybe some shows with live studio audiences. It could be an all around attraction.

Also, the Austin area had studio city going up. Its supposed to be like what Hollywood is to Los Angeles. Does anyone know how that project is going? And One more thing, I think the Dallas area has some sound stage studios, Barney and several other shows are taped there.

[crunchtastic]

citykid09, on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 @ 9:16pm, said:

I think that it could not only be useful for movies, but also in TV show production. Maybe some shows with live studio audiences. It could be an all around attraction.

Also, the Austin area had studio city going up. Its supposed to be like what Hollywood is to Los Angeles. Does anyone know how that project is going? And One more thing, I think the Dallas area has some sound stage studios, Barney and several other shows are taped there.

If you watch tv, you know that the majority of new shows are cheap- to- produce reality shows, CG animation, and other stuff that studios can market without investing huge money, time or equipment in. In order to make a giant sound stage and production facility viable, you have to keep it filled. You also have to attract high-budget production. I don't believe that Judge Judy, an occasional Scary Movie franchise shoot, and Bret Michaels' newest VH1 embarrasment will cover the costs to the county of giving away tax incentives for a facility that is half-filled half the time. I know it sounds really shiny and cool, sort of like jumbotrons downtown, but none of the people promoting the studio have provided any reliable data which says we have a market for this. Again--what are are Louisiana's numbers looking like? They did a very similar thing in Shreveport. They're also a few years in on it. Either they are making money, or not. I'm not saying it's apples to apples, but it would be instructive.

Now, The Astrodome Grow House, on the other hand, would be an all-around attraction. Do you know that other major cities do tiny, simple things like install rooftop vegetable gardens on their municipal buildings, and get press?? Do you know why Houston has hit some recent 'best of' lists? Discovery Green. Green space. Emphasis on green. An 'attraction' is kids coming in from all over the region on field trips to learn about ecological science. Turning a huge, crumbling urban arena bathed in a sea of concrete into a ag-based business in the 4th largest city in the country -- in an oil town nonetheless -- would be an attraction. Foreigners would eat it up. Taping Barney is not an attraction. Sorry.
Not picking on you, City Kid, but I smell amatuer hour with the people promoting this movie studio deal. And I'm completely serious about Dome Grow House. I think it's viable.

This post has been edited by crunchtastic: Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 10:15 PM