Dream Taker

"If I had gotten the property, there would be construction going on to enhance the area, which is what the Port told me they wanted to happen," says Casimiro of Stature Construction. "I have a bitter taste in my mouth from how it all went down. I would have had it on the tax rolls."

The salvos and snipes of the park battle have largely faded into silence, and the ghastly building lives on as a reminder of both shortsighted decision-making and of what might have been. County Judge Eckels even wonders if the war should be revived.

Deron Neblett

The Sports Authority's plans called for a park to serve as the stadium's entryway from the heart of downtown.

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"[Olajuwon] is a great basketball player, but not a great developer downtown. I don't think he'll ever do what he said," Eckels says. "[The building] is an eyesore today and will be a year from nowŠ.I still think we ought to condemn."

E-mail John Suval at john.suval@houstonpress.com.