Houston’s Astrodome, the world’s first domed sports stadium which has been closed since 2009, is the subject of proposed $1 billion redevelopment project.
According to combined media reports, the nonprofit Astrodome Conservancy which seeks to preserve the historic property, put forth a “Vision: Astrodome” concept that features a flexible event arena at the center that would be surrounded by new buildings for restaurants, shops, offices, and hotel space. The redevelopment would also include an elevated boulevard inspired by New York City’s High Line that connects the Astrodome to other locations within NRG Park, where the stadium is based.
The conservancy’s budget for the project envisions $750 million coming from private sources and the remaining $250 million from public funding.
“We are solid with this, and the billion dollars is reflective of a very compelling design,” said Ryan Levasseur, managing principal of LeVass Ventures, a real estate development firm involved with this project. “And also, yes, numbers are scary. This is an investment, not a contribution, right? This isn’t just cost-based, this is investment-based. And so when you think about an arena and commercial real estate and all the different tools that can be leveraged for this great historic structure, it starts to be very compelling as an investment opportunity for both the public and private sectors.”
Billed as the “Eighth Wonder of the World” when it opened in 1965, it launched the architectural movement to climate-controlled indoor stadiums. It was the longtime home for the Houston Astros, Houston Oilers and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and it hosted concerts by the likes of Elvis Presley and George Strait along with the celebrated “The Battle of the Sexes” tennis match in 1973 between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. It has been vacant for two decades and has been the subject of several redevelopment proposals that never came to fruition. In 2014, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: EricEnfermero / Wikimedia Commons
;
