Houston Astrodome

We Ask, You Respond: What Should Happen to the Astrodome?

The clock is ticking for the Astrodome. On June 10, the deadline for private companies to submit their financially sound ideas for the Dome will hit. On June 25, the HCSCC will present Harris County Commissioners Court with the ideas. At that point, decisions will be made, votes will be cast and we' ... More >>

Because the HCSCC Doesn't Have Enough Ideas, Here Are 5 More Things We Can Do with the Astrodome

Let's see if I've got this: The Confederacy of Dunces charged with making decisions on the Astrodome are once again acting like they want to make decisions on the Astrodome. Decisions that will involve them punting the ultimate decision to a higher authority that has, time and again, punted the deci ... More >>

Five Songs That Name-Drop the Astrodome

On this day in 1965, what was then called the Harris County Domed Stadium opened to the public. These days the Astrodome sits mournfully overlooking the empty lot that was Six Flags Astroworld, a testament to the fact that no one can think of what to do with an enormous structure that has outlived i ... More >>

Photo-Mashing Old & Modern Houston, Volume 6: Astrodome Edition

For our sixth installment of vintage photos mashed with their present-day locations we entered the doomed Reliant Astrodome with photos from a 1968 Astrodome tour guide. It highlighted numerous events the dome accommodated for. It opened in 1965 as the Harris County Domed Stadium. From being the hom ... More >>

Viva La Dome! Check Out These Old Concert Tickets

The close of RodeoHouston's season gives us all a respite from having to look at the adjacent Astrodome while we eat our third turkey leg and wait for our turn on the ferris wheel. Truth be told, some of us can just stare at the Dome for hours without a problem, myself included. Rewind: Digging ... More >>

County Commissioners Once Again Fail To Act On The Astrodome

Last August I wrote the following about the County Commissioners, their continued inability to figure out what to do about the Astrodome, and whether a plan for the future of the building should be put on the ballot: And then when a decision needs to be made on whether to put a plan on the ballot, t ... More >>

Rest In Peace, Astrodome, You Deserved So Much Better

From April 1988 through January 2000, I spent a lot of time at the Astrodome. About 100-150 nights a year, each year, more or less. My first job was operating the out-of-town games scoreboard for the Astros. I carried camera cables on the turf during Oiler games, dodged Monster Trucks and cattle. I ... More >>

The New Astrodome, Ladies and Gentlemen

Something had to be done. After today's Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation board meeting -- and pending acceptance from Harris County Commissioners Court -- the Reliant Astrodome will become a multipurpose spot with the potential for hosting concerts and, yes, football. Now, don't ge ... More >>

The Dome, Abandoned

Touring the old favorite

Astrodome Decor: Which of These Superboxes Is Most Hideous? YOU Decide!!

Retrospace got its hands on a 1966 Astrodome guide (subhed: "The Astrodome is more than a stadium -- it is a way of treating people"), and while it's filled with such unimaginable wonders as $3.50 box seats, our favorite is the superbox page. There, the Dome shows off its terrible, wonderful, appal ... More >>

Comment of the Day: The Great Astrodome Conspiracy

We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula involving wit ... More >>

Comments of the Day: What Will Remain of the Astrodome

We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula involving wit ... More >>

Digging Around The All-But-Abandoned Astrodome

The Reliant Astrodome was -- is -- the Eighth Wonder of the World. Generations of Houston-area kids spent their days dreaming of playing on the field under that massive domed ceiling. It's one of our city's last non-NASA ties to the space program, this UFO-like structure in the middle of a modern co ... More >>

Last Day To Vote For The Astrodome As A National "Place That Matters"

Is the Dome worthy of a click?​The National Trust for Historic Preservation is running the 2011 edition of its "This Place Matters" competition, where voters support local sites worthy of saving. Getting a big push this time around is the Astrodome, thanks to the folks at Houston Mod, which c ... More >>

The Astrodome: The Plans Just Keep Getting More Ridiculous

Photos courtesy of Harris County Sports and Convention CorporationComing soon to the Astrodome: a world map made from solar panels!​Note: The following information about Harris County officials' redevelopment plan for the Astrodome is not a joke. We're serious. One option, costing $1.36 billion, r ... More >>

The Tale Of The AstroSafari Theme Park, Revealed

​A new edition of the Houston Press hits the web today, so at last it can be revealed -- last week's cover story, on the county's plans to turn the Astrodome into a Tilman Fertitta-owned safari hunt club, was tied closely to the publication date of April 1.A lot of people figured it out pretty fas ... More >>

Astrodome Cinema

CAMH takes a look at the former 8th Wonder of the World

They Haven't Given Up Hope Yet On Making The Astrodome Into A Movie Studio

Logo courtesy Astrodome StudiosThese are tough times for the Astrodome -- it's in such bad shape that the rodeo could not use it for its Hideout bar and performance area this year.These are also tough times for the economy, as you may have heard, and tough times to launch seemingly improbable scheme ... More >>

The Dome As A Movie Studio

Top Ten Astrodome Sports Moments

Time for the Astrodome to Step Up?

An Exclusive Interview with the Astrodome

THE HIDEOUT'S BLOODY MARIA

The Astrodome

Mail Call

Monster Truck Mishap

We're Enron-Free!

Guaranteed: No mention of that story everyone's obsessed with

Retrodome

Architects collaborate to give the Astrodome a second chance

Night & Day

February 11 - 17, 1999

Night & Day

January 21 - 27, 1999

Ballroom Brawls

Sports Afield

The Harris County-Houston Sports Authority is a parody of a public body. But who's got time for the niceties of democracy when you're trying to keep Drayton McLane happy?

Press Picks

Fast Eddie's Getaway

Insider deals. Outrageous perks. Exorbitant salaries. No wonder Eddie Webster's taken a permanent vacation from the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Insider

The Insider

Press Picks

Hard Sell

That credibility gap may be too wide for Proposition One backers to traverse

Bonus Babies

Drayton Steals Home

On the Ropes

In 1966, Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams fought Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight championship. In 1996, he fights just to get by.

Beat the Heat!

1996 Summer Guide

Stadia Watch

Press Picks

Stadia Boys

A new panel is suiting up to customize the city's sports future in private

Beat It, Bud

... And don't let the door hit you on the way out

Born to Win ... or Lose?

Can Drayton McLane bring Houston a World Series champion on a budget? Can Houston support major-league baseball to Drayton McLane's satisfaction? It's time to find out.

Letters

Press Picks

Diamond in the Rough

Need a baseball fix? Hop over to Beaumont for Kerfeld's Frogs

Wanna Buy a RoboDome?

The city's sports tycoons maneuver for inside position, and the questions mount: Who needs it? Why? At what cost?