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Houston Texans: Why spending $105M to renovate the Astrodome is a sound decision

By Brian K. Patterson

29 Aug 1996: General view of the Houston Astrodome during a game between the Chicago Cubs and the Houston Astros in Houston, Texas. The Cubs won the game 4-3.
29 Aug 1996: General view of the Houston Astrodome during a game between the Chicago Cubs and the Houston Astros in Houston, Texas. The Cubs won the game 4-3. /
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Although the overwhelming majority Houston Texans history isn’t directly connected to the Astrodome, the site as to which the current, succeeding facility in which NRG Stadium does have significant relevance.  The Harris County Commissioner’s court approving the renovation of the dome is a sound decision and here’s why.

The Houston Texans aging, next-door neighbor in the Astrodome will be getting a face-lift over the next two years after a smothering majority of the Harris County Commissioner’s Court passed legislation to fund the renovations of the 53-year-old building yesterday.

So how much is this project going to cost?  The package that was approved was for $105 million.  One-third of the funding will come from property tax revenues and the remaining 67 percent will come from hotel occupancy taxes and parking revenues that the county collects.

The plan is to raise the floor of the Dome by two stories for additional parking and to flip the building that was once-dubbed as the 8th Wonder of the World as a flourishing center point for exhibitions.  The project is set to be complete by February 2020.

I’m aware that this decision will be historically one of the most-polarizing that the county has made in regard to planning for the future.  No matter what way you slice it, public money is being used to fund this project and there were no private donors to put their dollars in to jump start what will be a eventual boon for the county’s balance sheet.

But with the Houston Livestock and Rodeo currently fielding a waiting list of entities wanting to partake in using the existing facilities to host their exhibitions, there’s no doubt that this additional space is needed and will be used profusely once the project is complete.

The timing of this vote could be criticized as well as there are many of us still rebuilding from the effects of Hurricane Harvey some six months ago.  I’m sensitive to that and I understand.  This issue still remains on the forefront of the county as there is about to be a $1 billion bond proposal on the table to fund flood control projects to further protect us from unfortunate events like those.

But you know what?   I’m still okay with this decision.  This venture will be far from a white elephant and they’ll make their investment back just as quickly as voters rejected a similar proposal four years ago that had $217 million earmarked.  I had personally voted YES to have the dome renovated and preserved in some way.

This building was the first-of-its-kind and being able to watch sporting events in a climate-controlled environment was unheard when it was completed back in 1965.  It paved the way for a building boom of wannabes such as the Superdome, the now-defunct RCA Dome as well as the Kingdome and many others to name a few.  But for nearly two decades, this special building stood silent, refusing to not be begotten while all of the activity was flooding into the Houston Texans’ home next door.

Until as of recent, the way Houston develops its real estate is to raze down the old and build the new, giving the unfortunate effect of not having anything precious to hold onto to define its history.  The Astrodome is singly the most-iconic building this city has and to have the wrecking ball knock it down alludes to a quick decision without ascertaining the gravity of such an idea.

I’m 37-years-old and I’m a native Houstonian so a huge chunk of my childhood attending Houston Astros and Houston Oilers games still remains vivid to me.  My parents would send my brothers and I to summer camp every year up until my teenage years so attending multiple Astros games was a certainty.

Although I remember vaguely — and pictures have to help me out — my family and I attended the Jacksons — with Michael Jackson being the headliner — Victory Tour at the Dome in 1984.  I was only three-years-old.

I personally love to travel to this day and hopping on the school bus just to go cross town to visit the Dome always stirred excitement in me.  I couldn’t sleep the night before, knowing I was going to watch Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell and the rest of the Astros take on their opponent in a larger-than-life building.

Walking up the now-demolished, winding, hollow concrete ramps all the way to our seats in the SkyBox under the bright lights was an experience that was second-to-none every time I went.  The smell of fresh popcorn and stale beer spilled over the benches near the bright-red field box seats at Lefty’s Pub — the in-stadium bar — all encompass the memories that invoke an ear-to-ear grin on my face.

I’m also aware that many of you that are reading this weren’t around when this incredible monolith of building was open for business so it’s tough for you to understand the grandeur it emanates, even as it had continued to age over the years.

Houston Texans fans and sports fans in general — I OWN a pair of bright-orange Astrodome seats that have new life breathed into them in my living

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room.  When there was a public sale of those seats in pairs a few years back, I immediately did what I could to pounce on that opportunity.  That’s how much I love that damn building and was hoping those funds collected from the sales would go to preservation efforts, to which I believe they did.

And for those who aren’t from Houston and haven’t lived here all that long, I thank you for moving here but I think you should recuse yourself from this debate because YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND how significant the Astrodome is.  This sentiment is for those individuals who want to have the Dome demolished.  I have one word for you: ZIP IT!

But in every regard, I’m excited to know that the Astrodome will be here to stay for good.  The Astrodome Conservancy Committee and the county will be holding an event dubbed “Domecoming,” scheduled for Monday, April 9th where Houstonians will be allowed to see the Dome one last time in its current state before the constructions cranes are erected.  You better believe I’ll be there!

Next: How Houston Sports has reached its Golden Age

With that being said, I couldn’t be prouder of what the county did yesterday.  Essentially, the Astrodome is SAVED. 

Thank goodness for all.

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