Saw some of the renderings of the latest plan and they look good. I’ll bring it up again that tearing it down isn’t cheap other. Just filling the bowl in could cost around $60 million. The structure is very strong and can’t be imploded because of how close it is to NRG. It has to be dismantled which will also cost hundreds of millions.
Chicago and NY are older - but they have always saved more than Houston does, and it is a priority for almost everyone in places like Chicago and New York, it is good for businesses as well in many cases. At this point the claim that Houston is a young city doesn't ring as true as it did 20-30 years ago. No city saves everything - but most save or re-develop more than Houston does. As for the Astrodome, I am not there enough to have a strong opinion. I will say that if it was repurposed the right way, it would help the economy - but I don't know if there is the political interest to do that.
This is my issue with trying to do something with the Astrodome. It's not like it's a place that people go for anything other than an event. People dip in for the event, and then leave without visiting the surrounding area (because there's nothing there really, unless you need a hospital). Feel like the entire area needs to be developed before trying to do something with Astrodome, so should really probably just tear it down. Which isn't free, but cheaper than leaving it up (in the long run).
I always fancied the ideas of leaving just enough of the shell to support the roof and creating a huge shaded area. I guess you fill in the floor and put whatever you wanted to under the roof...restaurants, parking, a park, etc...
Malls are dead. Opening a new mega-mall in the corpse of the Astrodome in 2024 seems quixotic. I dont see it succeding, but at this point maybe we just need to fail big so everyone can get over it and we can move on.
How about a combo bungee jumping / driving range. Bungee jumpers have added excitement of flying golf balls, and golf enthusiasts get a cash prize if they hit a bungee jumper. Livestream for added revenue.
Oh wow, I always wondered why they didn't just blow it up and be done with it. I thought the rendering looked awesome, the only problem (besides a Billion dollars) is I don't see this as a destination spot without an event or game. If I was at a game or the Rodeo, I would go for sure but nobody is going there on a random Wed night, but I am sure they already realize this. I can only imagine the size of the rates down in the bowls of the dome, the place was an icon in my teenage years. Best adventure I had was me and some friend went to the 1998 NLDS game 1, Randy Johnson VS Kevin Brown...........even back then we could give run support in a timely fashion
So people go shop at NRG park? It would take a lot to be able to get that viable, in my opinion. Like it's a freaking gated area, no one wants to go shop there. I like the idea of something to remember the dome, but I also don't want to spend a bunch of money on it. Didn't the tax payers vote already and turn down spending money on it?
Another factor is those older cities have space limitations. They HAVE to save/rebuild more than Houston because there’s literally nowhere else to go. Houston, meanwhile, continues to grow in the suburbs more-so than within the heart of the city. There have been redevelopment (or new developments) in Eado, midtown, and the galleria area will probably be “rebuilt” one day while saving some historical aspects…. But when there is no zoning, and plenty of empty space to expand into, you get why salvaging or restoring hasn’t had to be a priority here. Again, compare Houston to Dallas, Atlanta and Phoenix and you may see that we’re either the same or even ahead of them in terms of some of these aspects… but they’ll never touch Chicago/NYC.
