my snappy reply about how dumb this idea was was subsumed by the brilliance of this post. End of thread.
Just blow it up and be done with it. It's the only way they'll ever win championships with the Astros and Texans. They must get rid of the past failures of the football and baseball teams. (I know it was the Oilers, not Texans.)
Actually, it was the old Texas League Houston Buffs. Is the museum/hall of fame still there? The last time I saw it was about 30 years ago.
When did they do that? I recall hearing about UH beating Tulsa 100 - 6 back in the 60s and I do remember UHs high scoring offense of the late 80s but I don't remember one of their scores ever going over 95 (vs. SMU).
I bought on EBAY not too long ago a special program about the opening of the Astrodome dated 1965. It says that it is 30ft deep, I don't know how accurate it was but that is what I saw.
I'm not sold on tearing down the Dome as for me personally, I have a lot of memories there...Although, it would be great if something economical and enjoyable would come out of it...Make it into the worlds largest strip club with the worlds largest dance pole or something...
Man, I cant believe why no one would see this plan as possibly being successful. This plan is ingenious and I'm shocked why no one sees how. Think about it.....and who or what's next door. The Texans....on game day, I can easily envision this place with retail and eatery's being a hub for pregame and postgame activities. Furthermore, look past Texans games. Broaden the scope if you will. Reliant Stadium is A facility that can attract Super Bowl's and Final Four's to town easily by itself. With this plan, Reliant Stadium now has an entertainment attraction with over 1000 hotel rooms next door to it. Talk about sweetening the pot....this makes any future Super Bowl bid near unbeatable as this is what owners look for in bids, hotel rooms and entertainment close by. Nothing gets closer then this. This is what Jerry Jones dreamed of for the Cowboys in his failed JerryWorld proposal to Dallas, and he's NOT getting it in Arlington, only a stadium. This is what Eddie Debartolo tried to build, a mall-stadium for the 49ers, what Bidwell tried to build, a mall-stadium for the Cardinals....i.e. sports and entertainment complex. All have failed in there attempts due to financing. It appears Houston will be the first in sports history to build a true dream sports and entertainment complex. Its not just about having conventions people....its about making Reliant Park a premier cant-be-passed-up destination for major events like the Super Bowl and the Final Four. If this plan succeeds, which I believe it will now that they have a solid financing plan, Houston can punch its ticket to the Super Bowl rotation. Guaranteed.
I don't think anyone's doubting the "goodness" of having hotels right next to Reliant Stadium. Of course that's good. The oddness comes from stuffing hotels and "riverwalks" inside a 40 year old stadium. That's what's bizarre.
And let's face it....in today's world, "the bizarre" attract. Its interesting and people want to see more, know more hence the creation of such crazed tabloids such as the National Enquirer. We as a society love bizarre things. That's what will make the Dome/Riverwalk/Hotel project a success. Its not ordinary like having a mall next to Reliant Stadium. This is literally a city in a bubble and many will think "Jetsons" and "Space Age" and "The Future" when they first think about it. It will pique many people's curiousity around the world, not just in Houston. This is why it will become an attraction....because its just plain bizarre. You dont believe me....Japan has the Ocean Done, a water park under a retractable roof that's a stone's throw away from a real beach. Yet its an overwhelming success, because its unique and well...just plain bizarre. And this is why I say Houston will be Super Bowl rotation city. Because while other city's might copy Houston's plan and build entertainment destinations around their sports venues, no city's bid can ever offer a city inside a bubble next door as part of there package.
Great. So Houston gets in the rotation and gets a Super Bowl every 8-10 years. How do they get people to stay there between Super Bowls? The Opryland Hotel in Nashville is probably the closest idea to this and is very successful. Here's a review of it from Frommers: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/nashville/A23551.html Frommer's Review Hotels aren't usually tourist attractions, but this one is an exception. With 2,883 rooms, the place is beyond big, but what makes it worth a visit are the three massive atria that form the hotel's three main courtyards. Together these atria are covered by more than 8 acres of glass to form vast greenhouses full of tropical plants. There are rushing streams, roaring waterfalls, bridges, pathways, ponds, and fountains. There are also plenty of places to stop for a drink or a meal. In the evenings, live music and a laser light show can be seen in the Cascades Atrium. The largest of the three atriums here is the Delta, which covers 4 1/2 acres and has a quarter-mile-long "river," a 110-foot-wide waterfall, an 85-foot-tall fountain, and an island modeled after the French Quarter in New Orleans. On this island are numerous shops and restaurants, which give the hotel the air of an elaborate shopping mall. You can take boat rides on the river and, at night, catch live music in a nightclub on the island. Allow 20-30 minutes.
We're assuming there will be condos as well as hotel space, because I think it would be pretty cool to live in "Bubble City"/the Dome. At least it would definitely be pretty damn futuristic. I think what the plan lacks is details. It's vague on what will be included; at least they could've included some random useless high-tech info or something. I would actually like the plan better if it were more centered around making it more of a live-in community with things like post office, doctors offices, shopping, et ceterea, rather than a tourist attraction, but it wouldn't bring in the big $$$. Of course the place is big enough that they could have it like that to a certain degree. A waterpark/theme park would also be neat (like West Edmonton Mall) if it weren't for Astroworld across the street.
Can we imagine for a minute how much more difficult it would be to build something huge inside an exisiting building. The place is a pit anyway it would have to be essentially rebuilt and it's configuration certainly isn't conducive to conversion. It's round , so one side is 1/4 mile from the other side, it has a bunch of small dark hallways full of pipes and strucutral steel, there are no exterior exposures for windows in rooms etc. it is surrounded by concrete ramps. Really to use the existing structure you would need a use that attracts large crowds for shorter periods. On the contrary you wouldn't lose any construction days to rain. The day they decide to tear down the Dome will be like the day you decide to have your old dog put down: sad, necessary and inevitable.
Well, did you see what Tampa Bay did to the old Florida SunCoast Dome. Even though the place was built in a failed attempt to lure the MLB's Giants to town in the 90's, new ownership gutted the entire inside of the Dome and then built a new ballpark inside of it. In essence, they built an entirely new structure inside the old dome for the same use as it was built for. They just did it to vastly improve the sightlines of the dome for baseball only. The place is now called Tropicana Field. London is also attempting to build a new structure inside the Millenium Dome, built to celebrate the new millenium. One current proposal calls for creating a buisness park inside of the Dome. Or the venue could be used in some fashion during the Olympics.
I think it'll be somewhat successful because of it's location. Having hotel rooms is almost a given in any scenario. BUT it's the rest of it that I'm unimpressed about. I was hoping they'd make it into something worthy of its original mantra...the eigth wonder of the world. This idea has fallen well short of that, IMO. No biggy and I hope it works.
No, it's called a dump. It has a reputation of being one of the worst stadiums in baseball. These plans for the dome seem to come out about once a year, get a lot of media hype, then fade away. I'd be willing to bet the same will happen here.
I wouldn't be surpised to see this idea fizzle out like so many others have, either. I do hope it works, though, because bringing in big bucks is the only thing that can save the Dome from simply being torn down. Personally, I find the idea of actually being able to LIVE inside the Astrodome pretty exciting... with food and shops inside there, theoretically you'd never even have to leave! The casino idea sickens me because I have so many innocent childhood memories tied up in the place, but I suppose it's preferrable to having the place destroyed. I don't see it happening, however; Dallas (and its state politicians)would pitch a fit if Houston got to open its own huge gambling Mecca.
