Despite what its name might suggest, the Astrodome is not the home stadium of the Houston Astros. It was originally constructed to host Houston’s new MLB team, but it no longer hosts sporting events of any kind. The Astros played their home games in the Astrodome from 1965-2000 before moving to Minute Maid Park.

For several years, Harris County has said the amount of money it still owes on the Astrodome is about $30 million. As the Harris County Sports & Convention Corp.

Houston Astros
The Houston Astros (MLB) played the first game ever at the Astrodome on April 12, 1965. Six levels of multicolored seats circled two-thirds of the stadium. The Astrodome became home of the University of Houston’s football team in 1965. It was one of the first stadiums to have luxury suites with 53.

Harris County
Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation
Houston Astrodome/Owners

Today, the Astrodome remains virtually idle as it sits in the shadow of the Houston Texans (NFL) home, NRG Stadium. Since its closing after the 1999 season, the Astrodome has sat empty. In February 2018 Harris County commissioners approved a $105 million redevelopment of the Astrodome.

Astrodome

Constructed in 1964, the Astrodome was deemed the “Eighth Wonder of the World” when it opened in 1965. As the world’s first indoor, air conditioned domed stadium, the 18-story multipurpose structure set the bar for arena design and construction for decades to come.

The roof at Minute Maid Park, however, retracts completely off the ballpark to reveal the largest open area of any retractable roofed baseball stadium in existence today. Mechanized roof panels open and close in 12-20 minutes. The roof moves back and forth an estimated 160 times a year, a distance of 14.6 miles.

When opened, it was named the Harris County Domed Stadium and was nicknamed the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. The Astrodome was declared non-compliant with fire code by the Houston Fire Department in 2008 and parts of it were demolished in 2013 after several years of disuse.

It was billed as the last opportunity for Houstonians to see inside the Dome before construction began. Approximately 75,000 attended the event, with a line wrapping all the way around the Astrodome itself.

The Astrodome inside looks largely unchanged since the last few media tours, aside from a few hundred seats being removed and organized on the floor of the stadium. The Dome is used for storage for some of the larger items used in and around NRG Park.

41 of 168 Chronicle reporter Craig Hlavaty’s Astrodome tattoo, as seen in the Astrodome in late September. Harris County officials have proposed a $105 million project to raise the ground level of the Astrodome up two levels and turn them into parking, the first step before the stadium can be repurposed for events, and other uses in the future.

With such a rich history, the Astrodome was listed on the National Register of Historic Places both for its architectural and cultural significance in 2014. The stadium has stood vacant for almost a decade. In 2013, a county-led plan to reuse the Dome was not approved by voters. Today, the Dome has been approved for a $105 million renovation plan.