The Astrodome

The Astrodome which at one time was called the eighth wonder of the world, is best known for being the home of the Houston, Astros baseball team. The Astrodome is the brain child of former Houston Mayor, Roy Hofheinz who loved baseball. The inspiration for the Astrodome came to Mayor Roy Hofheinz while visiting the Coliseum in Rome. The mayor wanted to bring baseball to Houston in an enclosed venue so that bad or strange weather occurrences would not interrupt a game. The Astrodome was the first ballpark with a roof propped on top of it.

The Astrodome was completed in 1964 and was officially opened in April of 1965. The Astrodome covers over 9.5 acres of land and derives its name from the Baseball team that is was home to for more than thirty-five years, the Astros. One of the most famous things the Astrodome was originally known for was its two million dollar scoreboard that occupied more than 470 feet of space. The scoreboard was eventually taken away to enhance the amount of seating options available.

The Astrodome was named for the prominent role that the city of Houston played in the country's space program. Eventually the Houston Baseball Team which was initially named The Colt 45s was renamed for the dome and took on the name the Astros. The very first game played by the Astros was against the Yankees who were defeated. At the time, people across the country were so fascinated by the structure of the Astrodome over 47,000 fans attended the first game including President Lyndon B. Johnson and the First Lady.

The structure of the Astrodome is amazing in and of itself. The dome is more than eighteen stories tall and has solid structural integrity created with steel triangle bars. Engineers of the Astrodome bragged that the air conditioning system was so overwhelming powerful they could produce snow within the dome under certain conditions. Most importantly, it was the the Astrodome that led to the ingenuous invention of astroturf. Astroturf is a supernaturally green artificial grass that doesn't require any mowing. The invention of astroturf was such a success that it is still currently being used in sports facilities around the United States and Europe.

Because The Astrodome ushered in the area of indoor sports stadiums it stands in Houston as a historic building, mostly unused as of 2009. Unfortunately, the splendor that was once the Astrodome has been overshadowed by the Reliant Energy Stadium which boast of newer technology such as a retractable roof. Although the dome is currently not occupied two possible plans of reconstruction are underway. There are two plans currently underway. One plan intends to turn the Astrodome into a 1,300 room luxury hotel. The second plan is encouraging the use of The Astrodome as a movie production studio. In spite of the elaborate plans to make use of the 9 acre unused dome, The Astrodome will continue to go down as a historic structure with multiple uses and changes throughout the years.