Search Results for: astrodome

Chron agrees that the Astrodome Park plan is silly

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

So there you have it. There is something uniquely Houston about tearing down an historic structure to build a memorial commemorating the history of that very structure. But that is exactly what the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the … Continue reading →

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Emmett doesn’t like Astrodome Park

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

And he’s not afraid to say so. Hoping to jump-start another discussion about redeveloping the Astrodome, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on Thursday called the Houston Texans and the Rodeo’s proposal to demolish the iconic stadium and replace it with … Continue reading →

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Astrodome Park: The population isn’t the problem

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Wythe addresses one of the central questions about the proposed Astrodome Park in this comment that I thought was worth highlighting on the front page. As it turns out, there are a number of apartments situated to the east … Continue reading →

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Could Astrodome Park actually work?

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Gray asks a good question about the proposal to turn the Astrodome into green space. Could that really be a park like Discovery Green? It’s easy to imagine that green space being useful, say, for a Super Bowl party, … Continue reading →

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Astrodome preservationists make their case for historic landmark status

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Ted Powell and Cynthia Neely, the driving forces behind the push to designate the Astrodome as a national and state landmark, write an op-ed outlining their reasoning. As the Texans and the Rodeo view a third-party investor as not boosting, … Continue reading →

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A step forward for the historic Astrodome

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From CultureMap: Efforts to make the Astrodome a State Antiquities Landmark took a key step forward Tuesday as the state Antiquities Advisory Board voted unanimously to forward the application to the Texas Historical Commission. Such a designation would prevent the … Continue reading →

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Astrodome: Deep Space Nine

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is now my favorite idea for What To Do With The Dome. Right now the folks in Houston are trying to figure out what to do with the Astrodome, which has been sitting vacant for several years. Many plans … Continue reading →

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The historic Astrodome

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure what effect this will have. The National Park Service has added the Astrodome, the world’s first domed stadium, to the National Register of Historic Places, making it eligible for tax breaks to aid in its rehabilitation but offering … Continue reading →

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Astrodome referendum officially on the ballot

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been a long, strange trip, but at last you will get to vote on the fate of the Astrodome. The Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously voted to place a bond election for up to $217 million to convert the … Continue reading →

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Astrodome referendum headed for the ballot

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

If you’ve been waiting for the chance to vote on the fate of the Astrodome, your wait will soon be over. Commissioners Court next Tuesday is expected to approve a measure asking voters to authorize the county to spend as … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court approves HCSCC Astrodome plan for further review

Posted on June 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I noted this briefly in an update to my interview with Willie Loston, but on Tuesday Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved the proposal by the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation to redevelop the Astrodome for further study. Commissioners … Continue reading →

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Astrodome-palooza

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

In case you aren’t completely full of my opining on the Astrodome and its possible fate, I was the author of a op-ed in the Sunday Chron on the subject. It’s kind of the Reader’s Digest version of the things … Continue reading →

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Astrodome anti-climax

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s it?!?!?!? The Harris County Sports & Convention Corp. board of directors approved a resolution Wednesday calling for staff to collect ideas for what to do with the vacant Reliant Astrodome between now and June 10. The Sports Corp., the … Continue reading →

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A STEM vision for the Astrodome

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Tory Gattis has an idea for what to do with the Astrodome. Where can America’s kids go to be inspired toward careers in our country’s most crucial need: science, technology, engineering and math (aka STEM)? Something far beyond their little … Continue reading →

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Could this be the catalyst for Astrodome redevelopment?

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. The city of Houston and Harris County are preparing to create a mammoth, two-part economic development zone covering more than 11 square miles along the South Loop and at the northeast end of downtown. The plan stems from a … Continue reading →

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Will the Astrodome derail our Super Bowl bid?

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Heaven forbid. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told a crowd on Tuesday that by 2017, Reliant will be 15 years old and therefore in need of some upgrades like digital scoreboards. Texans owner Bob McNair says the city must look at … Continue reading →

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More reactions to the new Astrodome report

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Texans owner Bob McNair says “Sure, that’s nice and all, but don’t you forget about me.” “Our first concern is Reliant Stadium,” McNair said Thursday. “We want to make sure we’ve got adequate funds there for repairs, replacement and improvements, … Continue reading →

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Meet the new “What To Do With The Astrodome” report

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Not that much different than the old “What To Do With The Astrodome” report. The Astrodome, a now-empty showplace that has hosted everyone from Elvis Presley to Hurricane Katrina evacuees, should be turned into a multipurpose facility that could spark … Continue reading →

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Shrinking the Astrodome

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You know what we need? Another crazy scheme to save the Astrodome, that’s what. Houston architect Imad Abdullah presented the most recent plan to save the Astrodome to Harris County Commissioners recently. But the same question remains: How to pay … Continue reading →

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How much would it really cost to tear down the Astrodome?

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Perhaps not as much as Harris Country officials have been saying. The expected price tag to demolish the Reliant Astrodome that Harris County officials have cited in recent years far exceeds the cost of razing other stadiums across the country, … Continue reading →

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Time for another “What to do with the Astrodome?” study

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been two years since we had one of these. The Astrodome’s next incarnation — planetarium? hotel? heap of dynamited rubble? – will be the subject of yet another study ordered up by Harris County Commissioners Court this week. What … Continue reading →

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Some day, we will do something about the Astrodome

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So says Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. “We on the Commissioners’ Court are going to have to make a decision, and I think it needs to be made this year, as to what we are going to propose to the … Continue reading →

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Once again mulling the fate of the Astrodome

Posted on April 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Am I the only one who noticed the omission in this story about the current state of the Astrodome? Debt and interest payments will amount to more than $2.4 million this year, according to a payment schedule for the higher … Continue reading →

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Yet another Astrodome plan

Posted on June 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a convention center, it’s a movie studio, it’s a planetarium. Add a planetarium to the myriad ideas for what to do with the Reliant Astrodome, Houston’s iconic stadium whose future has hung in uncertainty as officials and entrepreneurs have … Continue reading →

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Pity the poor Astrodome

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Greg Wythe

These sure are bad days for the old icon, aren’t they? The Astrodome will not host the rodeo’s nightly country-western dances next month, or any other special event for that matter, as city code violations that would cost millions to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Pity the poor Astrodome

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

These sure are bad days for the old icon, aren’t they? The Astrodome will not host the rodeo’s nightly country-western dances next month, or any other special event for that matter, as city code violations that would cost millions to … Continue reading →

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A peek inside Astrodome Studios

Posted on February 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So we know that one of the ideas for what to do with the Astrodome is to convert it to a movie studio. But what might that look like? Swamplot has a sneak peek. We may be hearing more about … Continue reading →

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A peek inside Astrodome Studios

Posted on February 15, 2009 by Greg Wythe

So we know that one of the ideas for what to do with the Astrodome is to convert it to a movie studio. But what might that look like? Swamplot has a sneak peek. We may be hearing more about … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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The financial crisis and the Astrodome Hotel

Posted on December 8, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Financial crunch may stall effort on Astrodome hotel. Boy, nobody could have seen that one coming. Before the financial markets tightened, Astrodome Redevelopment Co. was prepared to put up $150 million in equity — much coming in the form of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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More on the Astrodome movie studio

Posted on August 20, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this from last week: As county officials and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo haggle over how best to make use of the Houston Astrodome, a new group has emerged with a novel idea. They want to turn the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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The Astrodome as movie studio?

Posted on May 22, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

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 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 4 Comments

Astrodome lease in the works

Posted on May 16, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

We may finally have an agreement for what to do with the Astrodome. Entrepreneurs seeking to reinvent the Astrodome as an upscale convention hotel have reached a proposed lease agreement with the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp., county officials … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Bob McNair talks about the Astrodome

Posted on January 29, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

In this video, Chron football writer John McClain asks Texans owner Bob McNair what he thinks about the Astrodome Redevelopment project. Forward to about 2:50 in the clip to hear the Q&A: If you don’t feel like watching, McNair basically … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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No extension for Astrodome Redevelopment

Posted on January 24, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, this is a bit of a surprise to me. A company’s bid to reinvent the Astrodome as a convention hotel suffered a major setback Wednesday when a county board refused to give it more time to negotiate a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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