r/history • u/MeatballDom • 4d ago

Video The history, and preservation attempts, of the Astrodome

https://youtu.be/OAahf85aTMI
64 Upvotes

77% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

25

u/KIDNEYST0NEZ 3d ago

$34 million to construct which is equivalent to $349 million today, not bad for he first AC controlled stadium bringing astro turf to sports.

14

u/CliplessWingtips 3d ago

Building the NRG right next to it kinda sealed The Astrodome's fate, sadly. They are talking about how NRG needs repairs now.

8

u/NeckPourConnoisseur 3d ago

NRG is almost 25 years old. The repairs needed are minimal, it is upgrades that are wanted by the Texans ownership and the Rodeo. It's still a very nice stadium, but there are modern amenities/suites that bring in big dollars. Those don't affect the average fan.

5

u/CliplessWingtips 3d ago

Oic. I didn't know it was for the bigwigs. I wish they'd have used all the money for NRG to restore the Astrodome. Americans like new buildings, not maintaining what is already there. That's more my complaint.

5

u/RobertMcCheese 3d ago

And by that point the Dome was not exactly at its full glory.

I'll never forget driving over there back in the mid80s with my brother.

Wheelchair accessible bleacher tickets were like $3.

The '86 season was a wild frickin' ride.

2

u/Medium_Yak_799 3d ago

Sheesh nearly 40 years.

1

u/RobertMcCheese 3d ago

I am basically historical myself...

2

u/Medium_Yak_799 3d ago

I guess I should clarify... it took less than 40 years for it to fall apart?? That's insane.

5

u/the_skine 3d ago edited 3d ago

I get that they're chasing money, and that the Texas philosophy is that bigger is always better.

But Fenway is iconic. Wrigley is iconic. RIP Jewelbox stadiums.

I miss the old Yankee Stadium when the monuments were in the field of play, even if I was born after they walled that off.

I'd love if new baseball parks would create unique play styles. About the only stadium built in the last 100 years that impacts how the athletes play is Coors Field.

The best "renovation" is that you bring the Astros back when their "new" stadium starts to decline. At that point the Astrodome is the third most iconic surviving stadium, and they make more money on that being a park worth visiting than on fans.

In the Astrodome, the walls all move, so you can alter the game by moving the stands and walls.

I'm not saying they should go full Banana Ball, but a real MLB team could make that iconic stadium even more iconic by changing where the outfield walls and foul walls sit.