Originally Posted by Rain Man (Post 10167601)

SAVE THE ASTRODOME!

Originally Posted by mike_b_284 (Post 10167582)

? oilers?

Originally Posted by Bugeater (Post 10167201)

The most notable thing about it was they made the roof translucent because they thought they would be able to grow natural grass inside of it. Didn't work out so well though.

Originally Posted by Predarat (Post 10167736)

The Astrodome was destroyed on Sunday, January 16, 1994.

Originally Posted by bowener (Post 10167740)

I thought I had read that it grew grass just fine, it wasn't until the MLB made them darken the dome so players could see pop flies that it could no longer grow grass.

Originally Posted by whoman69 (Post 10167750)

from wikipedia

"Originally, the stadium's surface was a Tifway 419 Bermuda grass playing surface specifically bred for indoor use. The dome's ceiling contained numerous semitransparent panes made of Lucite. Players quickly complained that glare coming off of the panes made it hard for them to track fly balls. To solve the problem, two sections of panes were painted white. However, within a few months, the grass died from lack of sunlight.[16] For most of the 1965 season, the Astros played on green-painted dirt and dead grass. The clear panels also added a problem when combined with the natural grass. The grass tended to hold, then release moisture, often resulting in rain within the structure, causing games to be delayed while the grounds crews cleaned up the playing surface."

Originally Posted by mike_b_284 (Post 10167189)

Every night on the Houston local news they refer to the Astrodome as the 8th wonder of the world. Growing up in Kansas City, I have never heard this before. Was it a momentous feat in its time, or are Houstonians just full of themselves? It just looks like a shitty old stadium to me. I vaguely remember the Kingdome being a big deal, maybe in the early 90's, but they tore that down without much fuss.

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower (Post 10167214)

I know! It's called the ASTRO dome, but when you're inside you can't see the stars! Who are the ad wizards who came up with this one?

Originally Posted by TEX (Post 10167318)

Go **** YOURSELF ****HEAD! (Sorry for the profanity but you struck a nerve with me) You have NO IDEA what the Astrodome meant to those of us that grew up in Houston. It was just as symbolic to Houston as the Empire State Building was to New York or the SEARS TOWER, when it was called that was to Chicago (You might get it now). It was an architectural wonder for its day as the first ever domed stadium. It needs to be preserved as a historical building. There are far lesser buildings designated as such all over the country. Problem is it has sat for so long it's going to cost MILLIONS of $$$ to renovate. Folks from out of town who live here that don't understand its significance get to vote , as well as those who ironically don't pay taxes. They're not going to approve any public funding for it. I've always felt that they need to raise PRIVATE $$$ to turn it into something. Let the private sector take over and see what happens. What a concept...

Originally Posted by blaise (Post 10167424)

If you go to Reliant and look at it across the parking lot it looks small. Like you could almost fit it inside Reliant.