Astrodome

Astrodome

Astrodome, the world’s first domed air-conditioned indoor stadium, built in Houston, Texas, in 1965 and arguably the city’s most important architectural structure.

Conceived by Roy Mark Hofheinz (a former county judge and mayor of Houston, 1953–55) and designed by architects Hermon Lloyd and W.B. Morgan, in collaboration with the local firm Wilson, Morris, Crain and Anderson, the Astrodome is a prime example of late Modernist architecture, and its space-age appearance is aptly suited to the city that—with the opening of NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center (now the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center) in 1961 as the command post for U.S. spaceflights—had ushered in the age of space exploration in the United States. Hofheinz pitched a domed air-conditioned arena to increase attendance to the hot and humid city’s sporting events. He also helped the Houston Colt .45s, later renamed the Astros to associate them with their new stadium, join Major League Baseball. The Astrodome became the home of the Astros when it opened in 1965 and for the National Football League’s Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) in 1968.

Nicknamed the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” the Astrodome was built to protect an entire sports area suitable for baseball and football, with seating for 66,000 spectators. The Lucite-paneled dome, spanning 642 feet (196 metres), is supported by a steel lattice. The entire interior is air-conditioned at 74 °F (23 °C) and fully lighted with power from its own electricity-generating system. The playing field, constructed 30 feet below grade, spans 150,000 square feet. When built, the stadium included an electronic scoreboard measuring 60 × 300 feet (18 × 91 metres) and was the first arena to have luxury “box” seating, a feature included in almost all subsequent large-scale stadiums in the U.S. AstroTurf, a brand of nylon grass named for the team, was developed when it became apparent that the dome’s Lucite panels prevented the growth of natural grass on the playing field.

“Battle of the Sexes”

The Houston Astros played their last game at the Astrodome in 1999. Other notable events that took place there included the second “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King in 1973 and the Republican National Convention in 1992. In 2005 the Astrodome was used as shelter for tens of thousands of people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

The Astrodome has not been used since 2009. A November 2013 proposal to preserve and repurpose the massive structure was not successful. Although the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, it continues to be in danger of demolition.