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Looks like the Astrodome is going bye-bye


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A referendum to turn the Astrodome into a convention and event center was shot down.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/06/us/houston-astrodome-fate/index.html?eref=rss_mostpopular&co=f000000013912s-1248979077

 

Right now, it's in a sad state...it hasn't hosted a sporting event since 1999, and has been shuttered since 2009 (though the press has signed waivers to get in to show how dilapidated the interior has become in recent years).  Seats are torn and dusty, the field is a mess...vandals have broken in and smashed glass...pipes have broken.  It's definitely in pretty bad shape. 

 

Sure, it seems dated now, but it was called the "Eighth wonder of the world" for a reason back in 1965.  It was cutting edge for its time, being the first air-conditioned, completely domed stadium.  The four-story scoreboard and the lighting animations were very cool to look at right up until they were removed in 1988 (sadly, they were jettisoned for 15,000 more seats, which locals said definitely took away some of the charm of the 'Dome).  This building really meant a lot to the people of Houston, and many are sorry to see it go. 

 

Check out the animations that would play on the big screen....keep in mind this was 1965:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzKpQyOR03Q

 

 

And here's the other animations...this was impressive technology for the era...absolutely mindblowing for spectators:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9od5skNcvI

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzg-GrMf86Q

 

I never got it to see a game there in its heyday, but I really wish I had.  Really was a marvel.

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As a kid in lived in Houston for 4 years. I remember going to a few games there (Oilers, Astros and Hurricanes). That scoreboard was one of a kind and the Dome was considered one of the most modern Stadiums in the world. Reading that article makes me realize how old I am.

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I would've loved to have seen the 'Dome in the 60s, right around when it opened...because it would've seemed so mind-blowing THEN, considering the everyday technology that was in place at that time.  The place had such a futuristic, space-age, way-ahead-of-its-time feel to it, and the 60s was a decade of "all things are possible"...people thought we'd be living on the moon by the 21st century. 

 

As great as many of the new "retro but modern" stadiums are, people are so technologically jaded now...it takes so much more to blow us away as these buildings sprout up.  Even though the new buildings are always beautiful and start-of-the-art and have every amenity a fan could possibly want, it's just so hard to be WOWED in this day and age.  The 'Dome was such a leap forward in so many ways...I would just like to be a fan from that era so I could just experience the sheer "Holy crap, this is friggin' AMAZING!!!" euphoria that Astros fans felt when they watched a game there for the first time and saw those home run animations.     

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976
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I didn't even realize the Dome was still up to be honest, I figured it'd gone by the wayside long ago like all the other 'obsolete' stadiums.  But yeah it would have been nice to keep it around to have something.  If the frigging Izod center can still be up and running, so should this place.

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Izod still hosts concerts and other events...it was always pretty good for concerts, though I wonder, with one recently renovated arena and two new ones in the area, why anything still gets booked at the Izod Center.

 

Unfortunately, there's really not many good reasons to keep it going, outside of sentimental ones.  Take a look...the only abandoned baseball parks that still soldier on are those that host other sports.  Re-purposing them just doesn't really seem to be a viable option. 

 

Problem with the Dome is that it has really fallen into disrepair...if it was ever to be properly re-purposed, that option probably should've been explored before or just after the Astros left.  And it's costing millions per year just to maintain the Dome to the current level.  Sadly, one of its most distinctive and memorable features in the original Dome scoreboard is long gone.  It's one of those situations where, on one hand, it's sad to see it go, but at the same time, it's hard to find a really good reason why it should stay. 

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976
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I can understand why they're knocking down the Dome...no one plays there, it would take millions just to fix it up, the cheapest and best option is probably to raze it.  I understand its place in history and appreciate it from a pure tech standpoint, but there's just not a real good case to be made for preserving an almost 50-year-old building that is more or less rotting in drydock.

 

Turner Field is another story.  I'm sorry...this is a complete joke.  This stadium, which has housed the Braves since waaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 1997, is suddenly THAT obsolete?!  I've read up a little on it since clicking on DD's link, and there's some issues (building needing some renovation and updating and not being in the nicest of neighborhoods), but I find it VERY hard to believe that the shelf life of current stadiums is now roughly 20 years.   

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