Astrodome Math Gets Starker to Revive for $753M

The price tag for saving Houston’s most iconic building just got a lot harder to ignore.

A new Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation-commissioned study estimates it would cost more than $752 million to bring the Astrodome back to basic working order — compared to about $55 million to knock it down. The Houston Business Journal reported that the analysis puts fresh numbers behind a debate that’s lingered for years.

The study found that renovating the Astrodome to “basic operational functionality” — stopping short of full historic preservation or modern venue upgrades — would run about $752.6 million. Demolition, by contrast, would cost roughly $55 million, covering teardown and debris removal while leaving the below-grade structure untouched until a future use is determined.

“These cost estimates illustrate that it will not be financially feasible for Harris County to renovate the Astrodome without significant private investment,” interim County Administrator Jesse Dickerman said in a statement.

The timing is no accident. HCSCC approved the study amid ongoing, high-stakes lease negotiations at NRG Park with the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, whose agreements both expire in 2032. The fate of the long-shuttered Dome is a central piece of those talks, though county officials said there’s no timeline for a final decision.

Houston-based Kirksey Architecture prepared the analysis, which was expanded last November and delayed beyond its original early-2025 delivery. That expansion drew sharp criticism from the Astrodome Conservancy, the nonprofit pushing to repurpose the structure, according to the publication. The group blasted the county for spending more public dollars on demolition scenarios, arguing the Dome’s status as a protected Texas landmark warrants a more aggressive reuse strategy.

The conservancy has its own numbers. In November, it unveiled a $840 million vision to convert the Astrodome into a mixed-use complex with an arena, retail and multiple buildings inside the existing shell. The plan hinges on a public-private partnership, with $270 million in public funds for the arena and roughly $570 million from private capital for commercial components. Historic tax credits could offset up to 45 percent of the total cost, according to the organization.

Public opinion appears to tilt toward reuse. A University of Houston survey last summer found 62 percent of Harris County voters support using public funds as part of a public-private partnership to redevelop the Astrodome into an entertainment and mixed-use destination.

But support from key stakeholders is missing. Neither HCSCC, the Texans nor Rodeo Houston has endorsed the conservancy’s proposal, and Rodeo Houston has been openly skeptical. CEO Chris Boleman told the outlet NRG Park’s broader needs are “a $1 billion problem” that goes well beyond the Dome itself, and that the rodeo simply doesn’t use the Astrodome.

— Eric Weilbacher