The Astrodome: The Plans Just Keep Getting More Ridiculous

• Save this historic building!!! i don't care about money i aint taking money to the damn grave just save it.... people always tripping bout money and taxpayer money we are always going to pay our entire lifes and we cant do a damn thing about it,,,,,saving the astrodome is one subject you wanna talk about high taxes boycott and protest that on another day... saving it will be smarter and Bob McNair shouldve been smarter just to renovate the Astrodome in the first place as to paying to build Reliant Stadium...that place is too big and stupid if you have good seats its still far and if your in nose bleed sections your still far!!!!! smh get it together Houston !!!!!! always wanna take the easy way out THINK WITH YOUR F!!!! BRAINS!!

• This is just stupid!!! What u guys need it to get great people that actually make the dome come back to life , wonderful things have happend in that dome. For example Selena perez she had her last concert in this huge and historical monument. Save this place for the love of god why can't you guy think a little? Ok I mean why don't u guys throw down other ok buildings? And their called historical bulidings? The Dome is called the 8th wounder of the world people? Save it and fill the space up!!! Make someone famouse go thier nd sing! That's why it's empty cuz u guys just don't try at alll!!! Ok so save this peice of art.

• Empire State Building... it's old. We need something more modern in mid-town Manhattan. Golden Gate Bridge? All that red paint is a real eye sore. Plus we should expand it to help with commuter congestion during rush hour. Gateway Arch? Don't get it. Thing of the past. Astroworld got torn down five years ago. What does Houston have to show for it? 52 acres of mud. Why not spend a fraction of the money to bring the dome back up to code and hire a promotions team with half a brain to put the place back to work - Concerts, rodeo, college ball, monster truck pulls, etc., etc.? The Astrodome isn't just an 'eyesore' or a building that represents Houston's past. It's a 70,000 seat arena (for concerts) fully capable to being a viable venue today IF the city can get the right people on board with enough passion and smarts to bring it back to life.

• Talking points are handy ways for the very stupid to seem like liars instead of morons. It's funny. The dome as a "White Elephant" seems like a fairly odd, and almost forced, phrase. One that Howie has made a point to mention twice for some reason. It's so awkward, in fact, it sounds almost hand-picked by some public relations asshole to stick in the head of the reader. Interestingly, when you do a Google search for "<a href="http://tiny.cc/tyunw'>astrodome white elephant</a>" you get a WHOLE BUNCH of results from "concerned citizens" adding their 2-cents and calling it exactly that. Gee, I wonder...

• Turn it into a soccer stadium! if not, a convention center. Howie, not only are you "overburdoned" you must also be rather uneducated, ever heard of spell-check cabron? I agree with the preservationists on this thread, we must attempt to save something of our history, and put the space to good use, this dome is the eighth wonder of the modern world. If we discard it like we do everything else, the stuck up yanquis will have yet another reason to turn up their noses at us.

• Howie is obviously not a native Houstonian. It is entirely possible that he's never even been here. Go suck on some tea bags, Yankee - assuming your just a stupid crank, and not an actual representative of the developer who wants to tears it down.

• Hey 'dats says' - if you're willing to spend seveeral hundred million dollars - God only knows how many - to turn that white elepahant into whatever, that's fine. Just don't do it on the backs of us already overburdoned taxpayers.

• Sure would make a good soccer stadium.

• Dats Says, The city of Houston needs its significent historical achievments to be preserved. As a 5th generation Houstonian I want the Astrodome to be saved. They took away the Shamrock Hilton and built a parking garage in its place. We have little true history preserved here and probably most of these comments are from people who don't care about our history. We have the talent, creativity, resources, and vision to do this. Would you tear down the pyramids in Egypt? Well this is an architect's master piece and we can find a way. Houston is a dynamic can do city. Native Houstonians are very proud of this landmark. It is more important than sports arenas.

• I have an even better idea, how about turning it into a "Thunder Dome"? That would be awesome. It would help alleviate the shortage of rooms in our prison systems, and would provide wholesome family entertainment.

• What we need is another waterpark, being so hot here in houston. With the gulf soon turning into the "Black Sea", it would be an great alternative.

• It's is a no brainer. says: ...140,000 uninterrupted square feet - with a ...208' clearance height?!? That thing is the world's greatest sound stage waiting to happen. :: Good Point! Didn't think of that. How about the home for the H-Town sponsored Summer/Fall/Winter and SpringFest? With tryouts and smaller concerts in between the big events? Electronically tie-in the DOME to the other large Musicfests across the country ...especially in Wisconsin...which has the huge music fest this month. :: GP

• I think they just need to tear it down and the rebuild it again exactly as it was. That's what Houston does, right?

• What they should do is put a pastie on top of the dome and move all our Houston's 'Adult Entertainment' into the building. It preserves the Astrodome as well as preserves Houston's penchant for sex business'.

• If COH can afford $324,000,000 in public funds for renovating the Astrodome, the International Festival and the 4th of July party at Eleanor "Dingbat" Tinsley Park should be free to the public. We spend far too much money doing favors for connected fat-cats (such as spoiled-brat multimillionare sports team owners who want a new stadium but don't want to pay for it) and make up for it by gouging unconnected average Houstonians.

• If you want green space, go to a park. If you want to see some gi-normous 'water feature' go to Midtown.

• 140,000 uninterrupted square feet - with a 208' clearance height?!? That thing is the world's greatest sound stage waiting to happen.

• How in the hell does it cost $128 million to turn it into a parking lot...they need to get another estimate on that. Or get rid of the water feature if that's what is costing so much.

• Reality: it's either going to be option 1 or 2. Option 2 lets the county compete for larger conventions, so it's got a shot at making some of that money back. Option 3 is a pipe dream, and really not necessary. We already have a lame Disney-fied Space Center Houston so we don't need another, and we already have an excellent Museum of Natural Science and Children's Museum. I say build the hotel (If they're serious about conventions, they need better lodging in the area) and turn the dome into exhibit space.

• lets turn it into a giant indoor water park.

• Just tear it down and lets move on already. Everything about the dome is unfortunately way too expensive. These ideas are crazy

• It costs nearly as much to renovate as it does to demolish. Here's hoping our county elected officials (that's news for you, USA2) have approximately half the political will Judge Hofheinz had in his big toe, ignore the teabaggers' cries of "can't" and "don't", and make the right decision about Houston's history as well as its future.

• Better find out which city council members and their city vendors are pushing this project. Turn over a few rocks and you will (or won't) be surprised what you find. Get the campaign finance reports of the council members and do a search of the vendors pushing this and see how the elected officials vote and you will have the equation already done.

• None of these plans involve burning down the Astrodome.

• Have they gone mad? For God's sake, tear the damn place down and be done with it. I have a friend who is a retired HFD arson investigator. He says it would cost several million dollars just to bring that white elephant up to code. And now they want to spend - God only knows how much - taxpayer money only because, for sentimental reasons, the majoity of Houstonians don't want to demolish it.

TotalComments: 25