The Astrodome as movie studio?

Don't like the proposal to turn the Astrodome into a hotel/convention center? Well, how does turning it into a movie studio grab you?

Transforming the Astrodome into a huge production studio would preserve the landmark, create jobs and pull revenue from other parts of the country, say Elise Hendrix and Cynthia Hand Neely, the brains behind the latest idea for the aging sports venue.

As a production studio financed by independent investors, they argue, the Astrodome could be used 24/7, rain or shine.

"Hollywood has these huge soundstages, and we have some soundstages in Texas, but none are big enough to build a whole city in or to create an entire neighborhood," says Neely, who sits on the board of directors of the Texas Motion Picture Alliance and is president of Women In Film & Television Houston. "There could also be periphery support outside the building for equipment rental, costumes and a number of individual businesses."

So far, though, this is a dramatic proposal waiting to attach itself to some big investors and architects.

"We don't want to name names," Hendrix, a freelance makeup artist who has also acted and modeled, said Tuesday. "But we're close to securing funding and moving on to the next phase of development, which is bringing in designers and engineers."

I'm perfectly fine with this plan, just as I'm perfectly fine with the Astrodome Redevelopment plan. As long as it's private investors spending the money, I say let 'er rip. If these folks can demonstrate that their scheme is more viable, give them the prize.

The idea to turn the Dome into a production studio came to Hendrix about a year and a half ago. The Houston native had been living and working in Louisiana, regularly flying off to do jobs in Los Angeles. When she moved back to Houston in 2005, she was shocked at the city's limited opportunities in her line of work.

"My friends and I thought it was asinine that Houston didn't have the kind of film and production industry it was capable of having," Hendrix said. "It all boiled down to organization. So we opened a nonprofit, Houston Association for Entertainment Professionals (houstonaep.org), for all the people behind the camera."

[...]

Hendrix said her Astrodome plan has three parts. An umbrella group that she has set up, Greater Houston Global Management Group LLC, would oversee the three divisions:

• Astrodome Productions Studios would be a full-service site, with a large sound stage, 24-hour film processing labs, carpentry and equipment rentals, and more.


• An event-productions group would be set up to serve the southern region. In theory, it would be comparable to International Management Group, the group that produces Fashion Week in New York and Los Angeles.


• The Reel Stars of Texas Museum would honor actors, singers, writers, directors and behind-the-scenes players from the Lone Star State.

I have no idea how realistic any of this is, or if there's enough demand to make this venture worthwhile. But again, if someone with deep pockets does think it can fly, and they're willing to put their money where their mouth is, then I'm happy to give them the chance.

In the meantime, local preservationists are happy that there are still new ideas swirling around the Astrodome. Any plan to keep the Houston landmark from being plowed under is worth entertaining, they say.

"If ever there was a Houston structure that must be saved, it's the Astrodome, a building known around the world for everything from the first indoor baseball game to sheltering Hurricane Katrina refugees," said Madeleine McDermott Hamm, chair of Greater Houston Preservation Alliance's "Save Our Astrodome" campaign. "GHPA favors any plan that will meet historical guidelines and bring the Astrodome alive again as a public attraction that will benefit Houston."

I too would rather see the Dome preserved as something useful and beneficial to Houston. But whatever the merits of this and the Dome hotel scheme, it's possible that no such concept will work, or at least that no such concept can find the funding to try and make it work. If that happens, then we will have to come to grips with the idea of tearing the Dome down and doing something else with the land it occupies. I hope the old boy still has some life in him, but I know that may not be enough.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on May 22, 2008 to Elsewhere in Houston