Houston to bid for Super Bowl LI (UPDATE: Houston lands 2017 Super Bowl!)

imagine doing what i proposed earlier (gutting the existing structure, opening it up/reinforce it and turned into a park) and designing it to be a covered but open tailgating area? imagine selling "tailgating suites" on a yearly basis and hosting tailgate festivities there like concerts, shows, etc.? no one could convince me that a concept like that wouldn't make money hand over fist during the season. during the offseason you could use it for things like the BBQ cookoff (or at least a portion of the cookoff), concerts, general park space, etc.

sure there will obviously be an upfront cost but cmon... this isn't rocket science. you know what's a bigger eyesore than an old astrodome? that disgusting sea of nothing but concrete and ugly structures.

 

Who in the world is embarrassed that AstroWorld was shut down???.... I think people need to shake their addiction to nostalgia. Leveling it doesn't diminish it's importance and it doesn't wipe away any memories but any notion we should save the Astrodome because people have warm/fuzzy memories is just insane, to me.

 

let's not forget the final 4 in two months is at reliant. so astrodome developers already missed a huge event to leverage.

now i will say it's not all doom and gloom because of downtown. the marriott marquis and grb renovations should be done this fall and that entire area will be very nice for a SB.

http://www.houstonconventionctr.com/HomePage/PressRoom/TheNewHoustonConventionDistrict.aspx

this is the place with the texas shaped swimming pool on a balcony.

http://houston.culturemap.com/news/real-estate/09-26-12-new-convention-center-hotel-is-full-speed-ahead-see-its-striking-planned-look/

 

Agreed. I mean, Norman Bates loved his mother, but.....

It always seemed so odd to me that NRG was built right next to the Dome. Was there ever a plan for the Dome back when we first got an expansion team? Just seems weird that we would build a new stadium 100 yards away from it...and then years later be like "well golly, what do we do with it now?"

 

And why hasn't there been more of a public outcry to level the damn thing so that we could have closer, better, more abundant parking for NRG?

Any one who has ever walked to/from the... fuchsia lot should be lining up to contribute to the purchase of dynamite. Parking and traffic around the stadium is why, 10 out of 10 times, I'd choose staying home to going to the game - it's a nightmare.

 

Same people who should have been embarrassed when the Oilers moved.

You are entitled to your wrong opinion

 

The dome was a key piece in Houston's bid for the 2012 Olympics.

http://www.chron.com/sports/olympic...2012-Olympics-and-what-could-have-3707698.php

 

I have a condo right down the street from the reliant. What were the going prices for 2/2's near the stadium this past super bowl? I'm seriously thinking of renting my place out for the week.

 

Why would anyone over the age of... 14 be embarrassed that an amusement park closed? Are you under the impression a dated amusement park is some cultural touchstone? I would wager few people in Houston still care; far more people outside of Houston even knew the place existed.

It's not like it was Disneyland...

And there are (essentially) two people who should have been embarrassed the Oilers left: Bud Adams and Bob Lanier. The fans had no say in it. Angry? Sure. But embarrassed? Why, because rich, greedy old men got into a pissing match?

 

haha, i'm still waiting for that Texas Disney to happen...

 

The same people who suggest there are numerous proposals seem to be the same people who can't name one that's actually viable... and then they compare a stadium to the eiffel tower.

The Astrodome is now simply an old unusable stadium. Nothing more, nothing less. It was the first of its kind, and it was once great... but it no longer serves a purpose.

I'm sure there was also once a first football stadium... or a first baseball stadium... a first basketball arena. For the astrodome to be preserved as something other than a stadium, it would take a plan that not only is useful... but still keeps the actual structure intact... otherwise, what's the point?

I'm all for effigies/memorials or open green space with homages or remnants of the super-structure.... but the idea that this is some structure on the level of the eiffel tower that people will continue to visit for years on end?

 

it could become Houston's "Eiffel Tower" if they converted it like that one dudes design.

in fact this HLSR idea was the most popular in a poll that was done but our greedy judge called it silly.

 

That's fine... that's not really keeping any semblance of the stadium, other than the outer pillars, and in the middle is that effigy I mentioned in my last post.

I'd even be ecstatic if they somehow kept a form of the roof intact... the one aspect of the stadium that makes it iconic



Somehow mow that permanently into the lawn? Or create fountains/rivers in some of the truss components?

Again, that is a much better use (and is still basically another version of demolishing it) rather than somehow trying to convert a stadium into an un-needed convention center.

 

Why should any city care about having sports teams? It's just a game.

Grown ups realize attractions make a city better.

You're being very silly right now.

 

The Texans are the main road block to that happening. They won't allow people to just wander in and out of their compound. Parking is 12 bucks at NRG every weekend, foot traffic is about as welcome as ebola and the won't help much. The key to parks is having them open and easy to access. The japanese and centenniel gardens at hermann park have hours but you can park near them without going through a gate. Or paying 12 dollars. Or walking across 2 miles of pavement. The Texans don't have to give that up as they have houston by the balls. They forced out astroworld, no chance anything public will happen at the dome unless they are getting a sizeable percentage.

 

I don't think anybody would ever go to a park there.... Other than on game days.

I do think it would be a welcome addition/another option for game-day activities. With all the cars/tail-gating, it feels pretty cramped as it is.

 

The Texans would be all for spending millions in public funds to make their game day experience better. Having it only open one day a week to people who give the Texans money makes it even better. They could extend their concessions sales to the park and bar outside foot and drink.

 

You sir dont know architecture.

 

Are you suggesting AstroWorld was somehow equivalent to a professional sports franchise? And you think I'm being silly?....

Tell ya what - without looking it up, since amusement parks apparently make a city better - name all the other Six Flags locations. Should be easy.

 

The purpose of sports is the same as an amusement park... fun and entertainment. There's nothing silly about that factual statement.

Now, name two Six Flags parks that closed down.
Then, explain what happened with the land.