Funny story outfielder often struggled in the first few years. Around this time the Astrodome actually had grass and it grew easily. But due to the outfielder issues they began to darken some of the pannels. The sideffect was that the grass died and they had to use astroturf.
So glad they haven’t torn the Astrodome down. If there’s any place that should be home to a sports museum for Houston, it’s in that building. Not just for Astros and Oilers games, but the Battle of the Sexes between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, Houston-UCLA with Lew Alcindor vs Elvin Hayes, WrestleMania X-Seven. And that’s just off the top of my head.
One of the greatest basketball games of the 60/70s was played in the Astrodome between UCLA (then Lew Alcindor) and UH (Elvin Hayes) in January 1968. The game was the first nationally televised NCAA baskeball game, and was played in front of a then record crowd of 52,000. UH upset UCLA 71-69, ending a 47 game winning streak.
I lived in Houston for 12 years and got to attend several Astros games there. It was a very underrated venue for baseball. Was a great place to watch a game.
Thanks for making this video! I'm a native Texan and a 30+ year Astros fan who saw his first ever MLB game (and pro sports event) inside the Astrodome. I was living in Houston when the 2013 initiative failed, so I've been worried about the Dome's long-term prospects since then. The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, reportedly, doesn't support this plan and I fear that might be influential enough to kill it. Like you, I hope they find a way to preserve such a historic venue. But I also wanted to write this because the saga of the A's and Raiders reminded me so much of the 80-90s politics surrounding the Astrodome, too. Like the Oakland Coliseum up until the mid-90s, the Astrodome was once a baseball-first facility. But in the late 80s, in an effort to keep the Oilers from leaving (i think for Jacksonville at the time), Harris County agreed to tear down the beloved Astrodome scoreboard and expand the building's seating capacity. A decade later, this concession to Bud Adams would prove itself a waste as he moved the Oilers anyway to Tennessee. Robbed of its ambience as a baseball park, the Astrodome would continue to age and see declining attendance. As the 90s wore on, Houston would come under threat of losing the Astros, too. This time, to bidders from Virginia. Luckily for those of us who love the city and the franchise, then-owner Drayton McLane wound up sticking it out and the success of Killer B's era - along with the pain of losing the Oilers - led Harris County to approve a new referendum to finance what is, today, Minute Maid Park. But for a moment, Houston was nearly a city that would go from having 3 pro franchises to 1 in less than a handful of years. I thought about this a lot as I've watched the saga of the Athletics play out on your channel and I greatly hoped the Howard Terminal plan would save them for Bay Area fans. I haven't commented on this before, but you have my condolences as a sports fan on the move of the team. I hope that one day MLB realizes its mistake and rectifies it with another franchise.
I’m just glad the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles survived, has been upgraded and remains a great venue to see a concert or other event. PS - saw so many events at LA Sports arena now demolished and Santa Monica Civic now closed due to seismic risk.
They repurposed the pyramid in Memphis into a huge Bass Pro Shop, with a bar at the top and a view of the Mississippi River and downtown Memphis. Plus they have a pond and some small streams and a hunting themed hotel rooms. That is a much smaller venue, but it is really a nice repurpose
Tons of rain, hot as hell with extreme humidity in Houston. The whole complex being under a roof and with AC, I think it would be a huge hit with locals and visitors.
This reminds me of Toronto with Maole Leaf Gardens. Not sure how familiar you are with that building but historical site cannot tear it down. The facade is the same but it’s a grocery store and eventhough there is an arena inside on upper level the lower level is amazing cause you are grocery shopping and if you go down one of the aisles the Maple Leaf Logo is on the floor where the Maple Leaf center ice logo was it’s pretty cool.
Oddly enough it reminded me of the Memphis Pyramid with the Bass Pro Shop hotel inside an old NBA arena. There are other pretty well known instances of sports venues being turned into other things, though this could be the first NFL venue I can think of. Maple Leaf Gardens and the Montreal Forum have both been renovated to other uses.
While I fully agree that Houston needs to get the next NHL team (either from expansion or a team move), I don't think a venue like the astrodome would lend itself to ....actually, as I was writing that, and listening to Brodie, I started to think that perhaps you are on to something. They should make a smaller NHL/NBA sized arena _inside_ the Astrodome and just leave the top off. Let the Astrodome's roof keep the weather out but other than that, have a Roman Coliseum type arena right in the middle. That would be pretty cool and unique.
To all the naysayers in here, the Tampa Bay Lightning played a few seasons in what is now Tropicana Field, so anything is possible. It was called the Thunderdome for those few seasons before the Ice Palace (Amalie Arena) got finished where they play today. This could end up like Seattle where the Kraken play, Climate Pledge Arena, which is technically the oldest arena in the NHL hosting the NHL’s newest franchise.
@@Mark-Stingray427The renovations wouldn't use the existing seating footprint but instead radically renovate the interior to fit a rink more appropriately with the rest of the stadium footprint including larger concourses, restaurants /bars/shops, and expanded club seating, offices spaces, etc. even possibly with a seperate "theatre" section.
Honestly making it primarily for rodeo and high school sports seems like it'd be perfect. Maybe some sort of "Texas Heritage Bowl" for college football too. Basically turn it into the Houston version of that small stadium next to the Cowboys main stadium. Also make it similar to how North Wilkesboro Speedway was rebuilt. Do just enough to get it running and then make the upgrades after
I was in the Astrodome on September 8, 1998. The night Mark McGwire broke the homerun record. It was a surreal experience when they stopped the game to show it on the jumbotron.
It would be cool if they could do a retractable grass field like the NFL's Raiders and Cardinals - it would still give the Houston Dynamo and Dash a grass field with the benefits of a dome. There could even be a turf field underneath the soccer field for American football.
@ I don’t know if they can change the exterior too much with it being a landmark. Maybe they could do something like Real Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur and have the field move into a storage space with grow lights.
Look at the Superdome. These 2 facilities are iconic. For $400 million the Superdome is totally remodeled and remains a hot venue. I grew up in Houston with the Astrodome. Like the ideas floated in the video. They can work and be highly successful.
And the locals are still paying for it... They can't afford to visit the venue. Everyone thinks these things pay for themselves, they don't, taxpayers do. And taxpayers don't get dividends from it being a successful venue. Let the people PROFITing off of these facilities pay for them. And don't give me some BS about bringing revenue to the city, they want more money every year, it never ends.
I wish Candlestick could've had this same fate... Good on Houston to help keep the Astrodome alive and still serve people in Houston and the surrounding areas.
Astrodome was almost built in early 1960s in Portland but the city council said it was to big and not close enoung to downtown Portland where the Trail Blazers first played at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum right next to Moda Center.
Astroturf is nothing like field turf. Astroturf was thin and had no padding underneath. It is like a green carpet. Field turf is synthetic grass with padding underneath to capture the feel of a real outdoor grassy surface. Astroturf was more dangerous to play on than field turf.
Original Astroturf is the same stuff you can buy at your local home center/lumberyard. It has advanced over time like all products. The big problem with all these artificial turf products is that the buyers generally don't understand that there is constant maintenance required. It my area, many school districts are removing field turf and going back to grass because the maintenance costs end up being the same over time. We have plenty of rain and sun here. I understand that situations are different in other parts of the country.
I always wanted to go to a game at the Astrodome. The closest I got to doing this was a work trip that brought me to Houston and I got to drive by it. 😭
Learning how to build within domes can be valuable experience for colonizing space and hostile environments, where we'll have to build buildings within buildings to survive. And it would be fitting for some of that practice to come from a building named the "ASTROdome".
That's super awesome. When I watch movies set in the future or outer space, their buildings are encapsulated under a roof, so I think it would look futuristic for sure.
@@billcook4768 I heard some teams took credit for it but never had a definitive answer. An Earl Campbell touchdown, the delirious throng of Oiler fans all singing that song together, and the Astrodome scoreboard machinations were something, though, weren't they?
The velodrome from the 1976 Montreal Olympics was repurposed into the Biodôme, which is an indoor zoo/aquarium. That was a great repurposing of that venue, and it remains a must visit attraction in Montreal!
If I was part of the planning process, I'd want to see hotel space be a part of the re-imagined interior to promote, encourage, attract tourism of Astrodome as a Heritage Landmark and Houston/Texas in general with the historic sites they offer. I'd also want a museum that would show and tell Astrodome story.
No need because the Texans play across the street at NRG and the Astros,Rockets, and Dynamo FC play downtown at Minute Made Park, Toyota Center, and Shell Energy Stadium respectively. The only new mayor league team that could be is an NHL team, but that would require no other site (mainly the Toyota Center) would host them AND the NHL expands/relocates a team there.
Could be used as a mass shelter in case of hurricane. Could be prepared for such use. Saw a game there years ago James Rodney Richards and Steve Rogers of the expos locked in a pitchers duel. JRR was pushing 100mph the whole game.
The Astrodome was being used as a shelter for Katrina refugees in 2005. I'm surprised Brodie didn't mention that in the "Astrodome history" part of the video.
The only thing I would change is add like a remake of the old scoreboard that was in the Astrodome before it was remodeled to add seats. The citizens have to realize it is going to cost a pretty penny to revitalize the Astrodome. The longer people wait the more it'll cost.
Brodie yeah you did not mention the most significant historical moment ... 01/20/1968 The Game of the Century. First NCAA regular season game shown in prime time and most fans at time to attend NCAA basketball game and Houston won 71-69 over UCLA ending a 47-game winning streak. Later in the Final Four the Bruins avenged the loss and blew out the Cougars en route to a title. The star for Houston at the time was Elvin Hayes and Lou Alcindor for the Bruins.
I would love to see some football at the Astrodome, maybe not the Texans but maybe the Roughnecks could play there. There does seem to be a good amount of space in the concert setup render and it looks like it could fit a football field
Take part and turn it into a nhl caliber arena and take the other part and turn it into a MLS caliber stadium with grass tray that moves in and out for college football turf underneath.
At least The Astrodome has NRG Stadium adjacent to it as a destination that people would come to the area for an event. The district concept comes to mind and until then perhaps a Bass Pro Shop or an amusement park.
haha, no that wasn't me, but i understand what you're saying... a lot of broadcaster-types like myself all seem to sound similar. i think it's how we were trained in the 00's.
I always thought that NASA was going to take the Astrodome over and use it as a lab...The building inside of a building isn't new as a concept. Casinos have been doing it for decades. Sam's Town in Vegas comes to mind. Luxor is kinda that way as well...Let's give the Astrodome it's props. Think about all of the domes that structurally failed. Tropicana Field (aka Suncoast Dome) just succumbed to Hurricane Milton. Houston gets a similar number of hurricanes as Tampa, and the Eighth Wonder has never had a serious issue that I can recall. (The Superdome has been a beast in that regard as well.)...As to the adaptive reuse, I'm all for it, but turning it into a semi-Gaylord resort isn't what I would call an exhalted reuse. Think of the productive capacity if that monster were used as a hydroponic or aquaponic garden. A combination retail center, library, and functioning arboretum. What I saw in those renderings was a glorified shopping mall...But, kudos to Houston. They have done some fantastic urban renewal projects there, and are as good at modern urban design as anybody in the game. But this? This effort seems to me like an uninspired bunt single, when you have Ohtani at the plate...Memphis could've done way better with The Pyramid than a Bass Pro Shops. So I don't want to see Houston squander a fantastic asset like the Astrodome with something mediocre. It's Texas, man! Go all out! World's biggest IMAX. Something!...
The rendering reminds me a bit of the American Dream mall in New Jersey. There could be an event space in the middle, viewable from balconies and retail corridors at upper levels (think of the be the PHF Riveters played there), and they could even add a water park in the extra space like at American Dream. With the high ceilings and lack of support columns, the possibilities are really endless.
I'm old enough to remember when that was the Brendan Byrne Arena - yes, the arena was named for the governor of New Jersey who was in office when the arena was built - and I wasn't really impressed. It felt outdated in 1998 - and it was opened in 1982.
@ The arena is still there, hidden in the shadows of the mall parking deck. I long wished the Riveters, and perhaps the Devils AHL affiliate, would play there.
I want to make sure I understand the Conservancy's argument correctly. Because it will cost $100 million to tear down we need to spend 10x that much (at least) on it.
Before the Astrodome, the Colt 45's, the precursor expansion team of the Astro's, played at the hastily built Colt Stadium for only 2 million. That was arguably one of, if not the worst stadium in modern MLB. due to no shade and the crowds sweltered in summer heat and humidity as well as the swarming mosquitoes. The Astrodome was a much needed amenity for baseball in hot Houston.
As a kid I remember seeing the first Bad News Bears movie in which the Bears went to the Astro Dome and one of the Bears got dizzy staring at the roof. Houston vs UCLA college basketball game of the century. Or Billie Jean King vs Bobby Riggs, battle of the sexes!
So often in American mindset we build and tear down constantly, our mindset of preservation is often not in our thought process because of the reliance of insurance institutions using the numbers game of when something is deemed more to tear down as to preserve.
A little more context about Houston's arenas of old: The Summit, where the Rockets played prior to the opening of the Toyota Center in Downtown Houston, is now Joel Osteen's mega-church, Lakewood Church. The former Summit is about 4-5 miles away from Downtown along the US 59/Southwest Freeway. That said, between the HLSR and Harris County Commissioner's Court, this plan could very well end up going nowhere, pretty much like every other plan to repurpose the Astrodome.
I hope this conservancy ultimately has greater success than the S. S. United States Conservancy. I am probably one among a small group of people who have both sailed across the Atlantic on the S. S. United States early in her years of service, and attended an Astros game during the second or third year of the dome's existence. I will argue that while they both have historical significance, the S.S. United States is of greater significance. If things go according to current plans, in the next couple of years she will be an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico. I suppose that isn't as bad as for her as it would be for the Astrodome to be gone altogether.
I think they just of renovated the Astrodome and made into an NHL arena or renovated into an indoor water park and maybe an over 21 water park and maybe make the water park clothing optional one or so. I mean, I know Texas is a red state and I know that would make conservatives mad or so, but I’m republican too and I love going to nude resorts and nude beaches and did so in Seattle for 3 years and also currently in Houston as well. And also it wouldn’t be that controversial especially since the Astrodome did host a lot of concerts and political stuff such as the battle of the sexes and other crazy people and everything so the Astrodome is not as innocent and family friendly like they think. For me, those would be my ideas for the Astrodome if I was in charge. And for the NHL arena, I would renovate it call it the Astrodome once again. And then for the clothing optional water park idea, I think it would be the Astrodome water park, and have it be over 21 or so. Cause you know Houston needs more clothing optional resorts and beaches, ELR and bare fun are the only ones. And live oak in Washington, Texas is very far away too and outside of Houston as well.
If Houston gets hockey, it’ll be the rockets that get the team and it will be in their stadium. It’s already set up for hockey. There is an ice rink under the basketball court.
I'm all for clothing optional water parks in general (I don't know if there are any in the US), but the Astrodome is too conspicuous a location for such a thing.
@ yeah, but I don’t know. I’ve just been researching and I think there is one in Canada somewhere or so like around the eastern part or so. But yeah it being a historical location wouldn’t be good. But then again the nude beach in Seattle Denny Blaine park was a historical location too but they found a way to make it a nude beach or so as well.
It's a cool building.... I'm older than you, so... I very much remember when it was new.... It was openly called "The 8th Wonder of the World", that is not a sarcastic joke..... And it really was.... As a small child, my mind was blown out of my skull when my Dad told me "It's an indoor football stadium".... Of course now, yes, it is small by modern standards... The entire Astrodome could comfortably be placed inside several modern indoor stadiums.... When you say "buildings inside of a building", it sounds goofy.... But seeing the renderings, I don't hate it. I don't. I think you could tweak that idea, work it a little more, and come up with something cool.... Also, if you ever tried to catch a fly ball in the Minneapolis Metrodome, you would yearn for the Astrodome... A grey roof, with a pattern of circles in it, that matched the baseball exactly....
It’s sort of a scales up version of what they did in the Memphis pyramid. They have hotels and stuff so it’s a much smaller scale but has similar idea.
Funny story outfielder often struggled in the first few years. Around this time the Astrodome actually had grass and it grew easily. But due to the outfielder issues they began to darken some of the pannels. The sideffect was that the grass died and they had to use astroturf.
So glad they haven’t torn the Astrodome down. If there’s any place that should be home to a sports museum for Houston, it’s in that building. Not just for Astros and Oilers games, but the Battle of the Sexes between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, Houston-UCLA with Lew Alcindor vs Elvin Hayes, WrestleMania X-Seven. And that’s just off the top of my head.
One of the greatest basketball games of the 60/70s was played in the Astrodome between UCLA (then Lew Alcindor) and UH (Elvin Hayes) in January 1968. The game was the first nationally televised NCAA baskeball game, and was played in front of a then record crowd of 52,000. UH upset UCLA 71-69, ending a 47 game winning streak.
I watched that game on TV. UCLA got payback in the NCAA semifinal with a 101 - 69 beatdown.
The Astrodome also hosted the University of Houston Cougars from 1965 to 1997.
Also hosted Bad News Bears Championship game.
Can't believe he left out the most important moment in history.
The most important game in the history of Texas!!
LET THEM PLAY! LET THEM PLAY!
The movie "Brewster McCloud" was filmed there too in 1970.
The Astrodome has survived so many hurricanes and is still standing. It deserves a 💜. You can't keep that dome down. It has more lives than a cat. 😮
I lived in Houston for 12 years and got to attend several Astros games there. It was a very underrated venue for baseball. Was a great place to watch a game.
Thanks for making this video! I'm a native Texan and a 30+ year Astros fan who saw his first ever MLB game (and pro sports event) inside the Astrodome. I was living in Houston when the 2013 initiative failed, so I've been worried about the Dome's long-term prospects since then. The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, reportedly, doesn't support this plan and I fear that might be influential enough to kill it. Like you, I hope they find a way to preserve such a historic venue.
But I also wanted to write this because the saga of the A's and Raiders reminded me so much of the 80-90s politics surrounding the Astrodome, too. Like the Oakland Coliseum up until the mid-90s, the Astrodome was once a baseball-first facility. But in the late 80s, in an effort to keep the Oilers from leaving (i think for Jacksonville at the time), Harris County agreed to tear down the beloved Astrodome scoreboard and expand the building's seating capacity. A decade later, this concession to Bud Adams would prove itself a waste as he moved the Oilers anyway to Tennessee. Robbed of its ambience as a baseball park, the Astrodome would continue to age and see declining attendance. As the 90s wore on, Houston would come under threat of losing the Astros, too. This time, to bidders from Virginia. Luckily for those of us who love the city and the franchise, then-owner Drayton McLane wound up sticking it out and the success of Killer B's era - along with the pain of losing the Oilers - led Harris County to approve a new referendum to finance what is, today, Minute Maid Park.
But for a moment, Houston was nearly a city that would go from having 3 pro franchises to 1 in less than a handful of years. I thought about this a lot as I've watched the saga of the Athletics play out on your channel and I greatly hoped the Howard Terminal plan would save them for Bay Area fans. I haven't commented on this before, but you have my condolences as a sports fan on the move of the team. I hope that one day MLB realizes its mistake and rectifies it with another franchise.
Don’t forget it’s the primary location of Robert Altman’s “Brewster McCloud” lmao
I’m just glad the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles survived, has been upgraded and remains a great venue to see a concert or other event.
PS - saw so many events at LA Sports arena now demolished and Santa Monica Civic now closed due to seismic risk.
They repurposed the pyramid in Memphis into a huge Bass Pro Shop, with a bar at the top and a view of the Mississippi River and downtown Memphis. Plus they have a pond and some small streams and a hunting themed hotel rooms. That is a much smaller venue, but it is really a nice repurpose
Now if they can figure out what to do with the Mid-South Coliseum!
The Pyramid in Memphis is a really cool Bass Pro Shop now that is basically a building in a building.
Tons of rain, hot as hell with extreme humidity in Houston. The whole complex being under a roof and with AC, I think it would be a huge hit with locals and visitors.
This reminds me of Toronto with Maole Leaf Gardens. Not sure how familiar you are with that building but historical site cannot tear it down. The facade is the same but it’s a grocery store and eventhough there is an arena inside on upper level the lower level is amazing cause you are grocery shopping and if you go down one of the aisles the Maple Leaf Logo is on the floor where the Maple Leaf center ice logo was it’s pretty cool.
Unfortunately, the National Register of Historic Places DOES NOT protect structures from demolition.
Oddly enough it reminded me of the Memphis Pyramid with the Bass Pro Shop hotel inside an old NBA arena. There are other pretty well known instances of sports venues being turned into other things, though this could be the first NFL venue I can think of. Maple Leaf Gardens and the Montreal Forum have both been renovated to other uses.
Selfish me says possible hockey arena for Houston 😮
While I fully agree that Houston needs to get the next NHL team (either from expansion or a team move), I don't think a venue like the astrodome would lend itself to ....actually, as I was writing that, and listening to Brodie, I started to think that perhaps you are on to something.
They should make a smaller NHL/NBA sized arena _inside_ the Astrodome and just leave the top off. Let the Astrodome's roof keep the weather out but other than that, have a Roman Coliseum type arena right in the middle. That would be pretty cool and unique.
I think it’s way too big for hockey as well…
Absolutely too big, any true hockey fan knows that.
To all the naysayers in here, the Tampa Bay Lightning played a few seasons in what is now Tropicana Field, so anything is possible. It was called the Thunderdome for those few seasons before the Ice Palace (Amalie Arena) got finished where they play today.
This could end up like Seattle where the Kraken play, Climate Pledge Arena, which is technically the oldest arena in the NHL hosting the NHL’s newest franchise.
@@Mark-Stingray427The renovations wouldn't use the existing seating footprint but instead radically renovate the interior to fit a rink more appropriately with the rest of the stadium footprint including larger concourses, restaurants /bars/shops, and expanded club seating, offices spaces, etc. even possibly with a seperate "theatre" section.
I believe that the Astrodome also hosted the NCAA basketball Final 4 50 years ago or so. It was something else back in the day.
The Astrodome hosted WWF Wrestlemania 17 back in the day.
Oh, he was talking about real sports.
Honestly making it primarily for rodeo and high school sports seems like it'd be perfect. Maybe some sort of "Texas Heritage Bowl" for college football too. Basically turn it into the Houston version of that small stadium next to the Cowboys main stadium. Also make it similar to how North Wilkesboro Speedway was rebuilt. Do just enough to get it running and then make the upgrades after
I was in the Astrodome on September 8, 1998. The night Mark McGwire broke the homerun record. It was a surreal experience when they stopped the game to show it on the jumbotron.
I’d like to see them renovate the interior stadium to a capacity of 25,000-30,000 and use it for the MLS team.
It would be cool if they could do a retractable grass field like the NFL's Raiders and Cardinals - it would still give the Houston Dynamo and Dash a grass field with the benefits of a dome. There could even be a turf field underneath the soccer field for American football.
@ I don’t know if they can change the exterior too much with it being a landmark. Maybe they could do something like Real Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur and have the field move into a storage space with grow lights.
We have a stadium. Shell Energy Stadium is great.
Look at the Superdome. These 2 facilities are iconic. For $400 million the Superdome is totally remodeled and remains a hot venue. I grew up in Houston with the Astrodome. Like the ideas floated in the video. They can work and be highly successful.
And the locals are still paying for it... They can't afford to visit the venue.
Everyone thinks these things pay for themselves, they don't, taxpayers do. And taxpayers don't get dividends from it being a successful venue.
Let the people PROFITing off of these facilities pay for them. And don't give me some BS about bringing revenue to the city, they want more money every year, it never ends.
I wish Candlestick could've had this same fate... Good on Houston to help keep the Astrodome alive and still serve people in Houston and the surrounding areas.
Candlestick would have made a great outdoor toilet and drug emporium for the homeless given the current state of San Francisco.
Candlestick was set in this weird microclimate spot with horrible cold winds. I morn many old ballparks. Not Candlestick.
Astrodome was almost built in early 1960s in Portland but the city council said it was to big and not close enoung to downtown Portland where the Trail Blazers first played at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum right next to Moda Center.
Make an indoor theme park and name it astroworld like the old theme park
Very similar to the O2 in London that was the Millennium Dome before being rebuilt inside
Astroturf is nothing like field turf. Astroturf was thin and had no padding underneath. It is like a green carpet. Field turf is synthetic grass with padding underneath to capture the feel of a real outdoor grassy surface. Astroturf was more dangerous to play on than field turf.
You have to start somewhere.
Original Astroturf is the same stuff you can buy at your local home center/lumberyard. It has advanced over time like all products. The big problem with all these artificial turf products is that the buyers generally don't understand that there is constant maintenance required. It my area, many school districts are removing field turf and going back to grass because the maintenance costs end up being the same over time. We have plenty of rain and sun here. I understand that situations are different in other parts of the country.
I always wanted to go to a game at the Astrodome. The closest I got to doing this was a work trip that brought me to Houston and I got to drive by it. 😭
Learning how to build within domes can be valuable experience for colonizing space and hostile environments, where we'll have to build buildings within buildings to survive. And it would be fitting for some of that practice to come from a building named the "ASTROdome".
Turn into soccer specific stadium with hotels and retail
That's super awesome. When I watch movies set in the future or outer space, their buildings are encapsulated under a roof, so I think it would look futuristic for sure.
That's how well built it is!
Instead of Opryland, a better comparison would be the O2 Arena in London.
"We're the Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers number one..." Great.
Stolen from the Dolphins; or was it the other way around?
@@billcook4768 I heard some teams took credit for it but never had a definitive answer. An Earl Campbell touchdown, the delirious throng of Oiler fans all singing that song together, and the Astrodome scoreboard machinations were something, though, weren't they?
Also ripped off from the Dolphins
The velodrome from the 1976 Montreal Olympics was repurposed into the Biodôme, which is an indoor zoo/aquarium. That was a great repurposing of that venue, and it remains a must visit attraction in Montreal!
I'm ok with all this. Do want to see it in person in the near future!
Mape Leaf Gardens in Toronto and The Forum in Montreal have had similar developments done on the inside of those buildings too
If I was part of the planning process, I'd want to see hotel space be a part of the re-imagined interior to promote, encourage, attract tourism of Astrodome as a Heritage Landmark and Houston/Texas in general with the historic sites they offer. I'd also want a museum that would show and tell Astrodome story.
Here's a better idea: just revive it as a stadium just like was done with Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.
No need because the Texans play across the street at NRG and the Astros,Rockets, and Dynamo FC play downtown at Minute Made Park, Toyota Center, and Shell Energy Stadium respectively. The only new mayor league team that could be is an NHL team, but that would require no other site (mainly the Toyota Center) would host them AND the NHL expands/relocates a team there.
@@nathanmohn4272 or theUFL's Houston Rednecks,
Could be used as a mass shelter in case of hurricane. Could be prepared for such use. Saw a game there years ago James Rodney Richards and Steve Rogers of the expos locked in a pitchers duel. JRR was pushing 100mph the whole game.
The Astrodome was being used as a shelter for Katrina refugees in 2005. I'm surprised Brodie didn't mention that in the "Astrodome history" part of the video.
I think they should do something like this to the Oakland Arena
the Rays should play there while they build the new stadium
Did you not see that picture of what it looks like now? It's a dump and there aren't even any seats anymore.
Astrodome is now a solution in search of a problem.
well said
The concept sounds fantastic. I’ve been to the Gaylord Opryland Resort numerous times in Nashville and it’s amazing.
Buildings inside a building - talking the mall concept to a new level.
Houston Aeros hockey arena. The Aerodome. Embrace the retro feel and you can create a Mecca for hockey
Liked idea to make Astrodome into a botanical gardens.
So what I learned today is that the Astrodome was never torn down. I honestly assumed that happened LONG ago.
It’s obviously going to become a Bass Pro Shop…
Agree with the other commenters - that would be really cool as a hockey arena...follow in the footsteps of Seattle, but on a more Texas sized scale.
The Astrodome also held pro wrestling matches and events plus several big time motor cross
The garden is beautiful at Opry.
The only thing I would change is add like a remake of the old scoreboard that was in the Astrodome before it was remodeled to add seats. The citizens have to realize it is going to cost a pretty penny to revitalize the Astrodome. The longer people wait the more it'll cost.
I love your videos
Reminds me of the movie Logan’s Run.
Don’t forget the u of Houston v UCLA. With then Lew Alcindor
The Millennium Dome in London (wasn't a sports facility but had the large space and empty purpose) became the O2 Arena (now their main sports arena)
The silverdome was the former home to the Detroit pistons also
Brodie yeah you did not mention the most significant historical moment ... 01/20/1968 The Game of the Century. First NCAA regular season game shown in prime time and most fans at time to attend NCAA basketball game and Houston won 71-69 over UCLA ending a 47-game winning streak. Later in the Final Four the Bruins avenged the loss and blew out the Cougars en route to a title. The star for Houston at the time was Elvin Hayes and Lou Alcindor for the Bruins.
I would love to see some football at the Astrodome, maybe not the Texans but maybe the Roughnecks could play there. There does seem to be a good amount of space in the concert setup render and it looks like it could fit a football field
Definitely will be an embarrassing eyesore when the ‘26 World Cup arrives & its still vacant . NRG Stadium will host WC games
Take part and turn it into a nhl caliber arena and take the other part and turn it into a MLS caliber stadium with grass tray that moves in and out for college football turf underneath.
Luv Ya Blue!
At least The Astrodome has NRG Stadium adjacent to it as a destination that people would come to the area for an event.
The district concept comes to mind and until then perhaps a Bass Pro Shop or an amusement park.
I think that’s a cool idea, but they’re gonna have to pressure wash the roof
Could make a tiktalker so big money
The House of Pain.
@brodie you should learn about the history of Mall of America. Reminds me a bit of that site/facility
Interesting video. Brodie, do you do voice over work? I swear I've heard your voice on radio ads on Sirius XM for healthcare program?
haha, no that wasn't me, but i understand what you're saying... a lot of broadcaster-types like myself all seem to sound similar. i think it's how we were trained in the 00's.
"Building buildings inside of buildings"
Yep, we tried that. It's called a mall, NOBODY WANTS IT.
Used to have an exploding scoreboard in the outfield
I always thought that NASA was going to take the Astrodome over and use it as a lab...The building inside of a building isn't new as a concept. Casinos have been doing it for decades. Sam's Town in Vegas comes to mind. Luxor is kinda that way as well...Let's give the Astrodome it's props. Think about all of the domes that structurally failed. Tropicana Field (aka Suncoast Dome) just succumbed to Hurricane Milton. Houston gets a similar number of hurricanes as Tampa, and the Eighth Wonder has never had a serious issue that I can recall. (The Superdome has been a beast in that regard as well.)...As to the adaptive reuse, I'm all for it, but turning it into a semi-Gaylord resort isn't what I would call an exhalted reuse. Think of the productive capacity if that monster were used as a hydroponic or aquaponic garden. A combination retail center, library, and functioning arboretum. What I saw in those renderings was a glorified shopping mall...But, kudos to Houston. They have done some fantastic urban renewal projects there, and are as good at modern urban design as anybody in the game. But this? This effort seems to me like an uninspired bunt single, when you have Ohtani at the plate...Memphis could've done way better with The Pyramid than a Bass Pro Shops. So I don't want to see Houston squander a fantastic asset like the Astrodome with something mediocre. It's Texas, man! Go all out! World's biggest IMAX. Something!...
THE SPIRIT OF HOUSTON NEVER QUIT 🫡
I would be shocked if that thing is really asbestos free
The rendering reminds me a bit of the American Dream mall in New Jersey. There could be an event space in the middle, viewable from balconies and retail corridors at upper levels (think of the be the PHF Riveters played there), and they could even add a water park in the extra space like at American Dream. With the high ceilings and lack of support columns, the possibilities are really endless.
I'm old enough to remember when that was the Brendan Byrne Arena - yes, the arena was named for the governor of New Jersey who was in office when the arena was built - and I wasn't really impressed. It felt outdated in 1998 - and it was opened in 1982.
@ The arena is still there, hidden in the shadows of the mall parking deck. I long wished the Riveters, and perhaps the Devils AHL affiliate, would play there.
put an NHL arena in there...
An nhl will likely play at the toyota center
This is up to the people of Houston to pay for, not someone in Nebraska.
Great video. Loved hearing about this.
I want to make sure I understand the Conservancy's argument correctly. Because it will cost $100 million to tear down we need to spend 10x that much (at least) on it.
No love for the RCA Dome?
good call!
Before the Astrodome, the Colt 45's, the precursor expansion team of the Astro's, played at the hastily built Colt Stadium for only 2 million. That was arguably one of, if not the worst stadium in modern MLB. due to no shade and the crowds sweltered in summer heat and humidity as well as the swarming mosquitoes. The Astrodome was a much needed amenity for baseball in hot Houston.
If it dosent work out bass pro can turn it into a big store, kinda like what they did to the Memphis Pyramid.
As a kid I remember seeing the first Bad News Bears movie in which the Bears went to the Astro Dome and one of the Bears got dizzy staring at the roof. Houston vs UCLA college basketball game of the century. Or Billie Jean King vs Bobby Riggs, battle of the sexes!
Quality build if it is still sound after 60+ years.
So often in American mindset we build and tear down constantly, our mindset of preservation is often not in our thought process because of the reliance of insurance institutions using the numbers game of when something is deemed more to tear down as to preserve.
A little more context about Houston's arenas of old: The Summit, where the Rockets played prior to the opening of the Toyota Center in Downtown Houston, is now Joel Osteen's mega-church, Lakewood Church. The former Summit is about 4-5 miles away from Downtown along the US 59/Southwest Freeway.
That said, between the HLSR and Harris County Commissioner's Court, this plan could very well end up going nowhere, pretty much like every other plan to repurpose the Astrodome.
Just sell it to bass pro
Reminds me of the "Big Egg" in Tokyo.
If the local taxpayers didn't want to save it, why should out of state taxpayers bail it out
I hope this conservancy ultimately has greater success than the S. S. United States Conservancy. I am probably one among a small group of people who have both sailed across the Atlantic on the S. S. United States early in her years of service, and attended an Astros game during the second or third year of the dome's existence. I will argue that while they both have historical significance, the S.S. United States is of greater significance. If things go according to current plans, in the next couple of years she will be an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico. I suppose that isn't as bad as for her as it would be for the Astrodome to be gone altogether.
Might be an interesting idea but could it be a potential NHL venue?
“Why would you want a building in a building?” Have you been to Houston in August? 😂
People that don't live here don't have a clue
I have a great solution for the Rays! Just move the Astrodome to Tampa/St, Pete. So simple!
They could dirt from redo for mini and sprint car racing. Most rumble mini car races only need 1028 ft race .
Hear me out Brodie... Aeros play in it too if they get a NHL team back
Been tried a number of times. Good luck with that.
In Portland, the Memorial Coliseum is right next-door to Moda Center. They both should be torn down at this point.
I think they just of renovated the Astrodome and made into an NHL arena or renovated into an indoor water park and maybe an over 21 water park and maybe make the water park clothing optional one or so. I mean, I know Texas is a red state and I know that would make conservatives mad or so, but I’m republican too and I love going to nude resorts and nude beaches and did so in Seattle for 3 years and also currently in Houston as well. And also it wouldn’t be that controversial especially since the Astrodome did host a lot of concerts and political stuff such as the battle of the sexes and other crazy people and everything so the Astrodome is not as innocent and family friendly like they think. For me, those would be my ideas for the Astrodome if I was in charge.
And for the NHL arena, I would renovate it call it the Astrodome once again.
And then for the clothing optional water park idea, I think it would be the Astrodome water park, and have it be over 21 or so. Cause you know Houston needs more clothing optional resorts and beaches, ELR and bare fun are the only ones. And live oak in Washington, Texas is very far away too and outside of Houston as well.
If Houston gets hockey, it’ll be the rockets that get the team and it will be in their stadium. It’s already set up for hockey. There is an ice rink under the basketball court.
I'm all for clothing optional water parks in general (I don't know if there are any in the US), but the Astrodome is too conspicuous a location for such a thing.
@ yeah, but I don’t know. I’ve just been researching and I think there is one in Canada somewhere or so like around the eastern part or so. But yeah it being a historical location wouldn’t be good. But then again the nude beach in Seattle Denny Blaine park was a historical location too but they found a way to make it a nude beach or so as well.
It's a cool building.... I'm older than you, so... I very much remember when it was new.... It was openly called "The 8th Wonder of the World", that is not a sarcastic joke.....
And it really was.... As a small child, my mind was blown out of my skull when my Dad told me "It's an indoor football stadium"....
Of course now, yes, it is small by modern standards... The entire Astrodome could comfortably be placed inside several modern indoor stadiums....
When you say "buildings inside of a building", it sounds goofy.... But seeing the renderings, I don't hate it. I don't. I think you could tweak that idea, work it a little more, and come up with something cool....
Also, if you ever tried to catch a fly ball in the Minneapolis Metrodome, you would yearn for the Astrodome... A grey roof, with a pattern of circles in it, that matched the baseball exactly....
Didn't Maple Leaf Garden in Toronto do something similar?
It’s sort of a scales up version of what they did in the Memphis pyramid. They have hotels and stuff so it’s a much smaller scale but has similar idea.
They have been wanting to repurpose it for years but they've done nothing