Astrodome: An Afterthought?

The Eighth Wonder of the World isn't even the biggest building on the block anymore.

The Astrodome, the famed landmark that helped put Houston on the map four decades ago, still stands, but not very proudly. It is an afterthought of this Super Bowl week, a run-down relic dwarfed by the neighboring, new Reliant Stadium in both dimension and prestige.

Once thought to be one of the best architectural feats in modern history, the Astrodome is simply history now, a forgotten symbol of an era when domes were the deal, retractable roofs were distant dreams and the construction cost of $31.6 million was, indeed, enough to build an entire stadium, not simply pay a single player.

"It's a big part of our identity," said Ramona Davis of the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance. "When people fly in here, it's one of first things they see. They know they're in Houston when they look out the window. People used to come here just to see it."

Opened in 1965, 10 years before the Superdome in New Orleans, the Astrodome used to stake a pretty good claim as one of the special few focal points of the American sports world.

These days, the Superdome bustles — a refurbished, retrofitted colossus that has hosted a Super Bowl and a Final Four in the last two years. The Astrodome, meanwhile, is available almost any night for adult league softball games, business meetings and Bar Mitzvahs.

It was built for a grander purpose: To be the home of the Houston Astros, whose owner, Judge Roy Hofheinz, remembered going to a rained-out baseball game as a kid and vowed that someday, he'd figure out a way to play baseball inside.

The stadium quickly took on a life of its own, 10 acres of air-conditioned space in a building so big, it could be recognized in satellite photos from outer space.

On Friday night, the two-decade-old AstroTurf — yep, they named it after the place — will be stripped off the floor, and the stadium will be decked out for the NFL commissioner's annual party. That's as close to Super Bowl glory as the dome will ever get, though. Even 30 years ago, the only other time Houston hosted a Super Bowl, the Astrodome was passed over in favor of Rice Stadium because, at the time, the dome only seated a very inadequate 50,000 for football.

It wasn't always inadequate.

Billie Jean King, Earl Campbell, Lew Alcindor; the Bad News Bears, Evil Knievel, Nolan Ryan; Muhammad Ali, Howard Cosell, Elvis. They all played the Astrodome, which has hosted, among other events, a Final Four, a number of major boxing matches, the Battle of the Sexes and the 1992 Republican Convention.

Cosell famously announced the end of his career as a boxing announcer on the Astrodome floor, repulsed by the beating Larry Holmes put on Tex Cobb in a boxing match. Cobb's reaction upon hearing the news: "My gift to boxing."

King defeated Bobby Riggs, three sets to none, in "The Battle of the Sexes," the emotionally charged tennis match that King used to strike a blow in 1973, near the height of the women's liberation movement.

Elvin Hayes and the Houston Cougars defeated Alcindor and UCLA 71-69 in the first nationally televised college basketball game, played before 52,693 fans, a record at the time.

At a post-loss pep rally, Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips, decked out in his famous 10-gallon hat, promised the Oilers would "kick the damn door in" and finally make the Super Bowl after suffering a second straight loss to the Steelers in the 1979 AFC championship game.

But the Oilers never did kick in the door. About a decade later, owner Bud Adams started carping about the outdated nature of the dome, and the Oilers bailed for Tennessee after the 1996 season.

On Monday, Houston sports magnates held a news conference to discuss the city's three, gleaming, new sports facilities — Reliant, the Toyota Center for the Rockets and Minute Maid Park, the new home of the Astros.

"When the Astrodome was built, it was going to have wider concourses, more restrooms and some of the other amenities, but because funds were short, a lot of those things were removed," said Bob McNair, owner of the Houston Texans. "The concourses became more narrow. Some of the hallways looked like caves. It just got to be outmoded in some respects."

In many cities, the simple solution would be to demolish such an outdated building, pave it over and put up a parking lot. Houstonians, however, are stubborn about their history, not so eager to say goodbye.

Some people envision an amusement park inside the dome, others a shopping mall, and others a hotel. Davis wants it placed on the national registry of significant buildings, a status that would recognize the dome's historical importance, but not necessarily protect its future.

While that debate lingers, taxpayers fork out about $1.5 million a year to maintain it. Meanwhile, players, fans and Houstonians watch it get smaller in stature every day.

"I just kind of miss the Astrodome," said Kevin Donnalley, a guard for the Carolina Panthers who used to play for the Oilers. "I wish this game was being played there. I know that these stadiums need to be a certain way now. But it was a great place to play."
By EDDIE PELLS