Architectural giant Gensler has provided a fresh conceptual design plan for historic preservationists determined to redevelop and return to life the Houston Astrodome, the world's first domed sports venue. The Astrodome, which officially opened in 1965, has been unused for 15 years.

Revealed on Nov. 14, the plan is part of the latest effort to revive the nearly 60-year-old structure that was once promoted as the "Eighth Wonder of the World." 

Astrodome Conservancy, a civic organization behind the new plan, believes a developer will step forward once funds are committed by Harris County, which owns the venue.  

To bring the plan to fruition, the county must raise and invest $250 million, says the conservancy, adding that because the Astrodome is a designated historic landmark, redevelopment can leverage significant private dollars in a public-private partnership.

At the unveiling of the Gensler conceptual design, the conservancy's view of the Astrodome as an icon of Houston's civic spirit and dynamism was on display.

With its fixed, glass-covered roof that allowed natural grass to grow on the field, the Astrodome facility led the way to other stadium design innovations. Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley said it "gave the world a new way to make indoor sports arenas with retractable roofs and ways for visitors to have a comfortable, experience."

Architects Hermon Lloyd & W. B. Morgan, and Wilson, Morris, Crain and Anderson, designed the stadium along with Walter P. Moore Engineers. G. R. Kiewitt. Louis O. Bass of Roof Structures Inc., designed the roof, which was built by H. A. Lott.

The Astrodome has waited 15 years for a redevelopment plan.
Photo: EricEnfermero via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 3.0

In 2000, the Houston Astros baseball franchise left to play at Enron Field, now Minute Maid Park. Finding agreement on how to use the Astrodome has not been easy.

In 2013, Harris County voters rejected a $217-million bond referendum to raise funds for renovating the stadium.

In 2016, county commissioners approved a plan by developer Astrodome Tomorrow, based on a design by architect James Richards Design, that was supposed to cost $94.5 million. It proposed stripping the dome stadium down to its frame and using it as an open-air park. 

But that plan eventually died.

The new plan, drawn up by Los Angeles-based Gensler—the world's largest global architecture practice—envisions the renovated Astrodome with 450,000 sq ft of revenue-generating space ringing a new event floor. It would also include a pedestrian "boulevard" at floor level. 

“The Astrodome can and should be the heartbeat of a new, global entertainment destination at NRG Park,” which surrounds the stadium, said Judy Nyquist, a conservancy founding board member. “It will serve as an exciting catalyst for future development in and around the park."

An interior view of the new plan for preserving and revitalizing the Houston Astrodome.
Rendering: Courtesy of Gensler