The Abandoned Astrodome And Its Future

[august948]

On 5/10/2023 at 11:13 AM, Houston19514 said:

Nonsense.  It is irresponsible to just let a huge asset sit there rotting.  It is not a waste of time to attend to the county's assets (or, if you prefer, its liabilities).  One thing is certain, "leadership" cannot overcome the divide if they don't try.  Another thing is for sure, we don't hire "leaders" to avoid making decisions when they are difficult.

Besides that, Judge Hidalgo has more important things to do now than worry about what happens in Harris county...

Lina Hidalgo named to Joe Biden's 2024 reelection advisory board

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/joe-biden-lina-hidalgo-18091209.php

[editor]

On 5/10/2023 at 11:08 AM, Ross said:

There are a myriad of other issues the County Judge needs to be working on. The Astrodome is at the bottom of the list of issues to be considered.

I didn't realize that she can only work on one thing at a time.  Maybe she could hire someone to help her out with things, so she can deal with two issues at a time.

[august948]

On 5/12/2023 at 7:48 AM, editor said:

I didn't realize that she can only work on one thing at a time.  Maybe she could hire someone to help her out with things, so she can deal with two issues at a time.

Well, she's already signed up to work on the Biden campaign so hopefully she'll be at least dedicating some time to Harris county issues as well.  Regardless, Judge Hidalgo put the Astrodome at the bottom of the bottom of the list some time ago.

[hbg.50]

Uh oh.  There appears to be some politicking going on with the Dome.   The HSA is claiming that the NFL will not consider Houston again for another Super Bowl until something is done about the Astrodome.   I find this hard to believe and so does Commissioner Adrian Garcia.  I don't usually agree with him on much but in this case I think he is right to call BS on this assertion. 

"Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia also weighed in on Burke's assertion that the Astrodome's future must be decided before Houston can bid on hosting the biggest football game on the planet.

"Harris County is one of the largest media markets in the nation, so I would find it hard to believe that the NFL would hurt its own pocketbook by excluding Houston from a future Super Bowl," Garcia challenged. "The unsettled nature of the 'Dome' didn't stop the league from choosing us previously. The uncertainty around the Dome hasn't kept us from acquiring world-class events like the Final Four, College Football National Championship Game, and World Cup matches, or a stop on Beyoncé's tour. The NRG complex is clearly capable of hosting top events now and into the future. I would encourage the employees of the Sports Authority to share concerns directly with commissioners' court in a constructive and professional manner if there are issues, before speaking with the press."

https://abc13.com/when-has-houston-hosted-super-bowl-nrg-stadium-why-astrodome-isnt-demolished-fifa-world-cup-2026/13826052/?ex_cid=TA_KTRK_TW&taid=65123fd2a284870001110bd4&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

Edited September 26, 2023 by steve1363

[editor]

10 hours ago, steve1363 said:

he HSA is claiming that the NFL will not consider Houston again for another Super Bowl until something is done about the Astrodome.   I find this hard to believe and so does Commissioner Adrian Garcia.  I don't usually agree with him on much but in this case I think he is right to call BS on this assertion. 

I'm with you.  If it's not in writing, it didn't happen.

 

[texan]

Another plan to reimagine the Dome. This time as a sports entertainment village.
https://abc13.com/astrodome-redevelopment-nrg-park-when-has-houston-hosted-super-bowl-stadium/13836055/#ln3al6ktjkqli1duby9

[hbg.50]

2 hours ago, texan said:

Another plan to reimagine the Dome. This time as a sports entertainment village.
https://abc13.com/astrodome-redevelopment-nrg-park-when-has-houston-hosted-super-bowl-stadium/13836055/#ln3al6ktjkqli1duby9

Mike Acosta is AWESOME!  He has advanced many innovative ideas for the Astrodome over the years.  I hope something sticks this time. 

The first thing I would do is restore the dome's ceiling to its original state and remove the paint from the ceiling windows.  I'm sure it wouldn't be energy efficient but letting in all that natural light would alone breathe new life into the Dome.

[Big E]

On 9/26/2023 at 9:57 AM, editor said:

I'm with you.  If it's not in writing, it didn't happen.

 

Something like this wouldn't be in writing. Its one of those things they tell you off the books, since they can't officially demand anything be done with the dome. But they can make it clear to those with power to do something about it that the league just won't consider Houston in the future. Plenty of other places to host Super Bowls; it doesn't have to be held in Houston again.

 

15 hours ago, steve1363 said:

Mike Acosta is AWESOME!  He has advanced many innovative ideas for the Astrodome over the years.

And none of those ideas went anywhere. Any business that wants to open up there will get vetoed by the Texans and Rodeo, because they don't want something there that will compete with them for space. Its what killed every other revenue generating proposal. Neither the Texans nor the Rodeo have shown any interest in doing anything with the dome themselves. Doubt they'd back somebody else doing anything either.

[hindesky]

[hbg.50]

2 hours ago, hindesky said:

Why not!

[BeerNut]

On 9/29/2023 at 4:07 AM, Big E said:

And none of those ideas went anywhere. Any business that wants to open up there will get vetoed by the Texans and Rodeo, because they don't want something there that will compete with them for space. Its what killed every other revenue generating proposal. Neither the Texans nor the Rodeo have shown any interest in doing anything with the dome themselves. Doubt they'd back somebody else doing anything either.

This place is so locked down even when not in use.  I wanted to use NRG Parkway to access the Bcycle station on the other side and they wouldn't let me cross.  You think they're going to let anything happen at the dome when events are happening at NRG Stadium or Center?

[hindesky]

"That's a big piece of history," Hernandez, who works for the global architectural design firm, Gensler, told the Houston Chronicle about the stadium on Saturday. "It's a big deal". Hernandez, University of Houston assistant professor Mili Kyropoulou and other architects from Houston and around the country contributed to the reimagining of the Astrodome."

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/houston-architects-reimagine-a-cleaner-astrodome-18454142.php#photo-24390051

[august948]

7 hours ago, hindesky said:

"That's a big piece of history," Hernandez, who works for the global architectural design firm, Gensler, told the Houston Chronicle about the stadium on Saturday. "It's a big deal". Hernandez, University of Houston assistant professor Mili Kyropoulou and other architects from Houston and around the country contributed to the reimagining of the Astrodome."

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/houston-architects-reimagine-a-cleaner-astrodome-18454142.php#photo-24390051

Apparently, this is just part of an annual competition.  Nothing I can see that makes this an actual proposal that might go somewhere.

Quote

In an annual competition, the American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, challenges teams to re-imagine existing structures. This year that challenge was the Astrodome.

"We were having a lot of fun," Hernandez said. "At work, we have to deal with budgets, but with this one, it was just let's see what we can do with it."

https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/astrodome-architect-design/285-ab7b4a3f-272f-4f8d-bfd3-cbd1be3910ee

 

[Urbannizer]

A neat idea that unfortunately has no intention on becoming reality. I’d put this one as #2 right the movie studio proposal, but other than those concepts, I think the Astrodome should be demolished. It has served its purpose. Build high-density mixed-use here in connection with NRG Stadium. Could be set as phases over time. Sure it was the first enclosed football/baseball stadium, but all these proposals and ideas just show how challenging it is to turn the structure into something. Demolish it and sell the land off in plots that it sits on and the surface parking to developers. NRG, rail line and the Med Center nearby would entice them to invest here.

[Big E]

On 10/31/2023 at 1:49 AM, Urbannizer said:

A neat idea that unfortunately has no intention on becoming reality. I’d put this one as #2 right the movie studio proposal, but other than those concepts, I think the Astrodome should be demolished. It has served its purpose. Build high-density mixed-use here in connection with NRG Stadium. Could be set as phases over time. Sure it was the first enclosed football/baseball stadium, but all these proposals and ideas just show how challenging it is to turn the structure into something. Demolish it and sell the land off in plots that it sits on and the surface parking to developers. NRG, rail line and the Med Center nearby would entice them to invest here.

It definitely should be demolished. But I don't see anything requiring year round parking being built here because it would interfere with parking and such for the stadium and convention center, which the rodeo and Texans would definitely say no to. More than likely, it would just be redeveloped as more parking lot. However, doing so might allow some of the outer parking farther away from the main structures to be redeveloped.

[august948]

On 11/1/2023 at 2:07 PM, Big E said:

It definitely should be demolished. But I don't see anything requiring year round parking being built here because it would interfere with parking and such for the stadium and convention center, which the rodeo and Texans would definitely say no to. More than likely, it would just be redeveloped as more parking lot. However, doing so might allow some of the outer parking farther away from the main structures to be redeveloped.

At this point, it seems like the best solutions would be to either demolish it and create a green/open/event space or maybe do the proposal where it's open space but with the skeleton of the dome over it.

[Houston19514]

It definitely should not be demolished. It should be saved and used for additional convention/exhibition space, below-grade parking, arena and facilities to replace the Astro-Arena building; any other "year-round" functions would have to be with the cooperation of the Texans and the Rodeo.  That does not, in my mind eliminate all other possibilities. If there are restaurants or hotel space, they just have to include the Rodeo and Texans in their plans and probably share a portion of their revenue with them.

Even more definitely it's way past time for our county "leaders" to do something. It's an absolute embarrassment that the Dome just sits there with no plan; no idea. The County "leaders" need to stop hiding under their desks and do something.

Edited November 6, 2023 by Houston19514

[august948]

4 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

It definitely should not be demolished. It should be saved and used for additional convention/exhibition space, below-grade parking, arena and facilities to replace the Astro-Arena building; any other "year-round" functions would have to be with the cooperation of the Texans and the Rodeo.  That does not, in my mind eliminate all other possibilities. If there are restaurants or hotel space, they just have to include the Rodeo and Texans in their plans and probably share a portion of their revenue with them.

Even more definitely it's way past time for our county "leaders" to do something. It's an absolute embarrassment that the Dome just sits there with no plan; no idea. The County "leaders" need to stop hiding under their desks and do something.

Our county leader has been away for a while.

[Houston19514]

On 11/6/2023 at 5:25 PM, august948 said:

Our county leader has been away for a while.

Away; hiding under a desk. .  . is there really a difference? 

[Big E]

On 11/6/2023 at 12:32 PM, Houston19514 said:

It definitely should not be demolished. It should be saved and used for additional convention/exhibition space, below-grade parking, arena and facilities to replace the Astro-Arena building; any other "year-round" functions would have to be with the cooperation of the Texans and the Rodeo.  That does not, in my mind eliminate all other possibilities. If there are restaurants or hotel space, they just have to include the Rodeo and Texans in their plans and probably share a portion of their revenue with them.

No business would agree to give up a portion of their profits (twice, since they would have to appease both organizations) to operate a business that going to be in the middle of a no mans land ocean of parking lots 80% of the time, and then wouldn't even be able to operate during game days or the Rodeo because neither of the two tenants would ever okay them disrupting their operations. There's no boon in it for any potential tenant. That's why no private group has ever attempted to do anything with the Astrodome.

[Houston19514]

On 11/8/2023 at 8:22 PM, Big E said:

No business would agree to give up a portion of their profits (twice, since they would have to appease both organizations) to operate a business that going to be in the middle of a no mans land ocean of parking lots 80% of the time, and then wouldn't even be able to operate during game days or the Rodeo because neither of the two tenants would ever okay them disrupting their operations. There's no boon in it for any potential tenant. That's why no private group has ever attempted to do anything with the Astrodome.

My idea was to share some revenue with only the Texans on game days and only the Rodeo during the three weeks of Rodeo.  The retail/hospitality businesses in the Dome would hugely benefit from the Texans/Rodeo traffic and the Texans/Rodeo get a fair cut.  Making the businesses work the rest of the year is probably the bigger issue.

[hbg.50]

From the DMN...

"The NFL announced the Los Angeles area will get Super Bowl LXI for the 2026 season, marking another year since North Texas held the big game.

Cowboys officials were in discussions with the league about hosting the Super Bowl along with other cities, but Los Angeles just made better sense in various ways.

 

The Super Bowl was a success financially, but lawsuits were filed from a man who suffered a fractured skull and the ticket holders who were asked to move.

There is a narrative those issues are preventing Jones from making a bid for another Super Bowl.

“It is not at all,” Jones said Wednesday from this week’s owners meetings. “The issues that were involved because of the weather won’t be involved again. Television will tell you it was one of the finest presenting Super Bowls they ever had and I know at the time it was certainly the best economical Super Bowl that the league had ever had, and so all of those things were alive and well.”

So, what’s the problem with making a bid?

NFL teams no longer have to make formal bids to host Super Bowls. Discussions with league officials and team owners are the new norm for landing a Super Bowl.

This thought of the Cowboys being in the Super Bowl rotation with New Orleans, Glendale, Miami and now adding Inglewood to the mix, doesn’t seem realistic.

This year’s Super Bowl is in Las Vegas and if that goes well, you can only wonder if the NFL’s signature event will ever come back to North Texas."

https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/cowboys/2023/12/13/while-jerry-jones-stays-positive-north-texas-super-bowl-exclusion-has-to-be-frustrating/

[Reefmonkey]

 

On 5/9/2023 at 5:16 PM, Blue Dogs said:

NO WAY IN HELL The Astrodome will be torn down anytime soon considering it's now a National Historic Landmark.

The Astrodome is NOT a National Historic Landmark. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, which is a different thing. Only about 3% of the properties on the National Register of Historic Places are also National Historic Landmarks, and you can look on the NPS's list of NHLs and see that the Astrodome is not included:

List of NHLs by State - National Historic Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

Being on the National Register of Historic Places is mostly symbolic, and does not guarantee preservation:

Quote

 

Under Federal Law, the listing of a property in the National Register places no restrictions on what a non-federal owner may do with their property up to and including destruction

FAQs - National Register of Historic Places (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

 

 

The Astrodome is also a Texas State Antiquities Landmark, but that doesn't automatically protect it from destruction either: @j_cuevas713

Quote

 

SAL designation does not mean that sites or buildings cannot be altered or destroyed. The land-owning agency must consult with the THC about such proposed actions through the permit process, and the THC will determine whether the work will be allowed.

State Antiquities Landmarks | Texas Historical Commission (archive.org)

 

 

Edited February 20 by Reefmonkey

[BeerNut]

I'm looking forward to flyovers and discussions about derelict Astrodome during World Cup matches.