HOUSTON – A Houston nonprofit announced its plan to revitalize the historic Astrodome on Wednesday.
The Astrodome, nicknamed “The Eighth Wonder of the World,” was completed in 1965. It was the first fully enclosed sports stadium and the first air-conditioned event venue of its size.
Recommended Videos
The facility, which closed in 2009, seated over 70,000 fans.
According to CNN, the $1 billion plan for the structure includes four state-of-the-art buildings under its roof and a retail village. Renderings show a boulevard that would cut through the dome and connect other buildings to NRG Park.
The Astrodome Conservancy is leading the redevelopment efforts for the stadium. The conservancy hopes the project will attract a significant amount of private funding to minimize the burden on taxpayers.
“We are confident that because of the Astrodome’s designation as a historic landmark, an Astrodome redevelopment can leverage significant private dollars - dollars that are not available for new construction or other improvements to NRG Park - to minimize public investment. We can create a successful public-private partnership to ensure this Houston treasure will have a bright future,” Astrodome Conservancy chairman Phoebe Tudor said.
The Astrodome served as the home to the Houston Astros from 1965 to 1999. The dome also hosted Houston Oiler home games from 1968 to 1996.
In 2005, the Astrodome was used to house Hurricane Katrina evacuees.