Houston Astrodome Redevelopment Plan Stalls

Once a jewel of Houston’s skyline, the Astrodome stands a hulking reminder of faded civic ambition, and of what happens when nobody can agree on what comes next.

Called the “Eighth Wonder of the World” by some when it opened in 1965 as the country’s first domed stadium, the Astrodome hasn’t hosted a sporting event in 25 years and hasn’t seen a concert since 2002, the New York Times reported.

The 9-acre landmark has since been largely closed to the public, its seats stripped and systems nonfunctional. Its 200-foot roof still impresses, but the dome itself has become a monument to inertia.

Over the decades, the Astrodome hosted everything from Evel Knievel jumps to George Strait concerts. It introduced the world to AstroTurf, pioneered the fully climate-controlled stadium and became the prototype for America’s modern sports arenas.

The latest proposal to save the building came last fall when the Astrodome Conservancy unveiled a $1 billion plan to turn the stadium into a mixed-use complex with retail, dining, event space, a hotel and a central boulevard modeled on New York’s High Line.

The Gensler-designed project would add four buildings within the shell, along with 1,500 parking spaces and livestock facilities for rodeo use. It would aim to preserve the landmarked structure’s architectural integrity while creating new revenue streams.

But the plan, which had raised $3.5 million as of November, has failed to win over critical stakeholders. The NFL’s Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, both longtime tenants of neighboring NRG Stadium, have expressed opposition, preferring county funds be used to upgrade their own facilities. Their long-term leases give them outsized influence over any major redevelopment. Harris County officials have shown little appetite to fight them.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo canceled a previous renovation plan in 2019, and new political support has yet to materialize.

The Conservancy is relying on a public-private partnership but has not specified any committed financing. A cost study commissioned by the county is expected this fall, and officials are skeptical about the plan’s viability, especially given the county’s broader fiscal constraints.

— Judah Duke