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Reliant Astrodome

The Astrodome, at one point "the Reliant Astrodome", is a domed Dome

A dome is a common structural element of architecture [i] that resembles the hollow upper half of a ... 

 sports stadium Stadium

A modern stadium is a place, or venue, for outdoor sport [i]s, concert [i]s or other events, consisting ... 

, the first of its kind. It is located in Houston, Texas Houston, Texas

Houston is the largest city in the state of Texas [i] and the fourth-largest in the United States [i] ... 

, and is part of the Reliant Park Reliant Park

Reliant Park is a complex in Houston, Texas [i] named after the energy company Reliant Energy [i]. ... 

 complex. It opened in 1965 as Harris County Domed Stadium and was nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World". Reliant Energy Reliant Energy

Reliant Energy, Inc. is an energy company based in Houston, Texas [i] providing electricity [i] to hous ... 

 purchased naming rights to the building in 2000.

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Encyclopedia

The Astrodome, at one point "the Reliant Astrodome", is a domed Dome

A dome is a common structural element of architecture [i] that resembles the hollow upper half of a ... 

 sports stadium Stadium

A modern stadium is a place, or venue, for outdoor sport [i]s, concert [i]s or other events, consisting ... 

, the first of its kind. It is located in Houston, Texas Houston, Texas

Houston is the largest city in the state of Texas [i] and the fourth-largest in the United States [i] ... 

, and is part of the Reliant Park Reliant Park

Reliant Park is a complex in Houston, Texas [i] named after the energy company Reliant Energy [i]. ... 

 complex. It opened in 1965 as Harris County Domed Stadium and was nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World". Reliant Energy Reliant Energy

Reliant Energy, Inc. is an energy company based in Houston, Texas [i] providing electricity [i] to hous ... 

 purchased naming rights to the building in 2000.

History

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of play in professional baseball [i]. ... 

 expanded to Houston in 1962 with the Houston Colt .45s Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball [i] team based in Houston, Texas [i]. ... 

, who were later renamed the Astros Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball [i] team based in Houston, Texas [i]. ... 

. Houston's unpredictable subtropical weather made outdoor baseball Baseball

Baseball is a team sport [i] popular in North America [i], parts of Latin America [i], the Caribbean [i] ... 

 difficult for players and spectators alike. Several baseball franchises had toyed with the idea of building enclosed, air-conditioned Air conditioning

[Image:Single-room AC unit-internal.jpg|thumb|right|The internal section of the same unit.... 

 stadiums. Former Houston mayor Judge Roy Hofheinz claimed inspiration for what would eventually become the Astrodome when he was on a tour of Rome Rome

Rome is the capital [i] of Italy [i] and of its region, called Latium [i]. ... 

, where he learned that the builders of the ancient Colosseum Colosseum

The Colosseum or Coliseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre , is the largest amphitheatre [i] ... 

 installed giant velariums to shield spectators from the Roman sun.

The world's first domed stadium was conceived by Hofheinz, and designed by architects Hermon Lloyd & W.B. Morgan, and Wislon, Morris, Crain and Anderson. Structural engineering and structural design was performed by Walter P Moore Engineers and Consultants of Houston. It was constructed by H.A. Lott, Inc. for Harris County, Texas Texas

Texas is a state [i] in both the Southern [i] and Western [i] ... 

. It stands 18 stories tall, covering 9˝ acres. The dome is 710 feet in diameter and the ceiling is 208 feet above the playing surface, which itself sits 25 feet below street level. Despite innovations neccessitated by the novelty of the design the Dome was completed in November 1964, six months ahead of schedule.

When the Astrodome opened, it used a natural Bermuda grass Lawn

A lawn is an area of recreational or amenity land planted with grass [i], and sometimes clover [i] ... 

 playing surface. The dome's ceiling contained numerous clear plastic panes made of Lucite Acrylic glass

Polymethyl methacrylate or poly(methyl 2-methylpropenoate) is the synthetic polymer [i] of methyl methacrylate [i] ... 

. Players quickly complained that glare coming off of the panes made it impossible for them to track fly balls, so all of the panes were painted over, which solved the glare problem but caused the grass to die from lack of sunlight. For most of the 1965 season, the Astros played on green-painted dirt and dead grass. As the 1966 season approached, there was the possibility of the team playing on an all dirt infield.

The solution was to install a new type of artificial grass on the field, ChemGrass, which became known as AstroTurf. Because the supply of AstroTurf was still low, only a limited amount was available for the home opener on April 18, 1966. There wasn't enough for the entire outfield, but there was enough to cover the traditional grass portion of the infield. The outfield remained painted dirt until after the All-Star Break. The team was sent on an extended road trip before the break, and on July 19, 1966, the installation of the of the outfield portion of AstroTurf was completed and ready for play. The infield dirt remained in the traditional design, with a large dirt arc, similar to natural grass fields. The "sliding pit" configuration, with dirt only around the bases, did not arrive in Houston until the mid 1970s 1970s

The 1970s decade [i] refers to the years from 1970 [i] to 1979 [i], inclusive. ... 

. The sliding pits were introduced by Cincinnati Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball [i] team based in Cincinnati, Ohio [i].... 

 with the opening of Riverfront Stadium Cinergy Field

Cinergy Field, formerly known as Riverfront Stadium was the home of the Cincinnati Reds [i] Major League Baseball [i] ... 

 on June 30, 1970. It was then installed in the new stadiums of Philadelphia Veterans Stadium

Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional sports facility [i] located at the northeast co ... 

 in 1971, and Kansas City Kauffman Stadium

Kauffman Stadium is a Major League Baseball [i] stadium [i] located in Kansas City, Missouri [i], and ho ... 

 in 1973. The artificial turf fields of Pittsburgh Three Rivers Stadium

Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose sports stadium [i] and event facility located in Pittsburgh [i] ... 

 and St. Louis Busch Stadium

Busch Stadium is the new home for the St. Louis Cardinals [i] of the National League [i]. ... 

 were traditionally configured like the Astrodome, and would also change to sliding pits in the 1970s 1970s

The 1970s decade [i] refers to the years from 1970 [i] to 1979 [i], inclusive. ... 

.

The floor of the stadium was never paved with a hard surface, like other stadiums. The AstroTurf was laid upon the dirt surface of the once natural grass playing field.

Teams who played there

In 1968, the AFL American Football League

The American Football League was a professional league of American football [i] that operated from 1960 ... 

 Houston Oilers Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football [i] team based in Nashville, Tennessee [i]. ... 

 moved into the Dome. Over the years, college basketball and football games, soccer matches, religious gatherings, and music concerts have been held at the stadium. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, with attendance approaching nearly two million visitors per year, ... 

, one of the city's biggest annual events, was held at the Dome from 1966 until 2003.

In 1968, No. 1 UCLA University of California, Los Angeles

The University of California, Los Angeles, generally known as UCLA, is a public, coeducational university [i] ... 

 played No. 2 University of Houston University of Houston

The University of Houston, formerly University of HoustonUniversity Park, is a
... 

 before a crowd of 52,963 - the largest attendance ever for a basketball game. Houston defeated UCLA 71-69 behind a 39 point scoring effort from Elvin Hayes. Houston's victory in this game ended UCLA's 47-game winning streak.

The 1971 NCAA men's basketball Final Four was held at the Astrodome.

On September 20, 1973, the Astrodome played host to one of the most talked-about events in sports history: the famous "Battle of the Sexes" tennis Tennis

Tennis is a game played between either two players or two teams of two players .... 

 match which pitted female star Billie Jean King Billie Jean King

Billie Jean Moffitt King is a retired tennis [i] player from the United States [i]. ... 

 against former men's Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs Bobby Riggs

Robert Larimore Riggs was a 1930s–40s amateur tennis [i] champion who, as a professional, became t ... 

. King defeated Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

The 1968 and 1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game Major League Baseball All-Star Game

The Major League Baseball [i] All-Star Game [i], also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" or "Mid ... 

s were held here, as was the 1989 NBA All-Star Game National Basketball Association All-Star Game

The NBA [i] staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden [i] on March 2 [i] ... 

.

The World Football League World Football League

The World Football League was an American football [i] league that played in 1974 [i] and... 

's Houston Texans Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are a professional American football [i] team based in Houston [i], Texas [i] ... 

 called the stadium home for part of the 1974 season.

The Houston Gamblers Houston Gamblers

The Houston Gamblers were an American football [i] team that competed in the United States Football League [i] ... 

 of the USFL United States Football League

The United States Football League was a professional American football [i] league that played three seas ... 

 also played home games at the Astrodome.

The Astrodome was also home to the University of Houston University of Houston

The University of Houston, formerly University of HoustonUniversity Park, is a
... 

's football American football

American football, known in the United States [i] and Canada [i] simply as football, is a competit ... 

 team until Robertson Stadium on campus was renovated in 1998.

The Bluebonnet Bowl Bluebonnet Bowl

Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football [i] bowl game played in Houston, Texas [i]. ... 

 was played at the stadium from 1968 through 1984, and again in 1987.

The stadium was also home to the Houston Bowl Texas Bowl

The Texas Bowl is a post-season NCAA [i]-sanctioned Division I- ... 

  in 2000 and 2001.

Scoreboard

The Astrodome was well-known for a four-story-tall scoreboard, composed of thousands of lightbulbs, that featured animations until its removal in the late 1980s. This loss was brought about by threats from Oilers owner Bud Adams to move his football team to Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the most populous city [i] in the state of Florida [i] and the thirteenth most populous [i]... 

 unless stadium seating capacity was expanded. The city buckled to his demands, and the scoreboard was removed and approximately 15,000 new seats installed to bring total capacity over 60,000. In 1989, four cylindrical columns were constructed outside the Dome, housing pedestrian ramps.

Recent history


The 1992 Republican National Convention was held at the Astrodome in August of that year. The Astros accommodated the politicians by taking a month-long road trip.

The Astrodome began to show its age by the 1990s. Oilers owner Adams issued a new set of demands, this time for a completely new stadium, but the city of Houston refused to fund such a venture. After years of threats, Adams moved the team to Tennessee in 1996. Around that time the Astros also threatened to leave the city unless a new ballpark was built. Houstonians acquiesced this time, and the retractable-roofed Enron Field was erected in downtown Houston in 2000.

One of the largest crowds in the Astrodome's history took place in 1995, when Tejano music superstar Selena Quintanilla-Pérez Selena

Selena Quintanilla Prez, best known as Selena, was a Mexican-American [i] singer [i] who has been ... 

 and her band Los Dinos performed for a sell-out crowd during the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show at the Astrodome, attracting more than 64,000 fans. This was also to be Selena's final performance, as she was later shot to death on March 31, 1995 by her fan club president Yolanda Saldívar. This would be the Astrodome's largest crowd until WrestleMania X-Seven WrestleMania X-Seven

WrestleMania X-Seven was the seventeenth annual WrestleMania [i] professional wrestling [i] pay-per-view [i] ... 

 was held at the Astrodome in 2001, establishing a new all-time record for the facility at 67,925 fans.



The Astrodome was joined by a new neighbor in 2002, the retractable-roofed Reliant Stadium Reliant Stadium

Reliant Stadium is a football [i] stadium [i] in Houston, Texas [i]. ... 

, which was built to house Houston's new NFL National Football League

The National Football League is the largest professional American football [i] league [i] ... 

 franchise, the Houston Texans Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are a professional American football [i] team based in Houston [i], Texas [i] ... 

.The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, with attendance approaching nearly two million visitors per year, ... 

 moved to the new venue in 2003, leaving the Astrodome without any major tenants. The last concert preformed at the Astrodome was George Strait & the Ace in the Hole band. George would also perform at Reliant Stadium next year. The stadium is currently called the "lonely landmark" by Houstonians because hardly any well-known events take place there. The historic facility now hosts occasional concerts and high school football games. Although some Houstonians want the Astrodome demolished Demolition

Demolition is the opposite [i] of construction [i]: the tearing-down of building [i]s and other ... 

 by 2009 or 2010, to be replaced by a large parking lot for the other structures of Reliant Park Reliant Park

Reliant Park is a complex in Houston, Texas [i] named after the energy company Reliant Energy [i]. ... 

, city council has rejected that plan for environmental reasons. They reasoned that demolition of the Dome might damage the dense development that today closely surrounds it.

Houston's plan to host the 2012 Olympic Games included renovating the Astrodome for use as an Olympic Stadium Olympic Stadium

The Olympic Stadium is the name usually given to the big centrepiece sports [i] arena [i] of the Summer Olympic Games [i] ... 

. Houston became one of the USOC's bid finalists, but the organization chose New York City New York City

[i] in the [[United States]... 

 as its candidate city; the Games ultimately were awarded to London London

London is the capital [i] city of England [i] and of the United Kingdom [i]. ... 

 by the IOC.

In 2005 Astrodome Redevelopment Corporation sought funding to convert the building into a "self-contained hotel", and the company will announce further plans in a letter-of-intent agreement with Harris County in January 2006.

In 2006, the Astrodome hosted what was called the largest indoor amusement park.

Hurricane Katrina



On August 31, 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricane [i]s in the hist ... 

, the Harris County Harris County, Texas

Harris County is a county [i] located in the U.S. state [i] of Texas [i] within the HoustonSugar LandBaytown [i] ... 

 Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the State of Louisiana Louisiana

cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2">
... 

 came to an agreement to allow at least 25,000 evacuees from New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States [i] port city and historically the largest city in the U.S. state [i] ... 

, especially those that were sheltered in the Louisiana Superdome Louisiana Superdome


The Louisiana Superdome, often informally referred to simply as the Superdome, The Dome or... 

, to move to the Astrodome until they could return home. The evacuation began on September 1. All scheduled events for the final four months of 2005 at the Astrodome were cancelled. . However, eventually officials declared that the Reliant Astrodome was full at 13,000 and could not accept additional hurricane evacuees from the disaster. Overflow evacuees were held in the surrounding Reliant Park complex including 3,000 at the Reliant Arena Reliant Arena

The Reliant Arena, formerly the "Astroarena", is a 350,000 square feet sports center in Reliant Park [i]... 

 and 8,000 at the Reliant Center Reliant Center

Reliant Center is a convention center in Houston, Texas [i], part of the Reliant Park [i] complex that w ... 

. No more evacuees were taken into the Astrodome. There was a full field hospital inside the Reliant Arena, which cared for the entire evacuee community.

The entire Reliant Park complex was scheduled to be emptied of evacuees by September 17, 2005. The Astrodome has no other current use, aside from a handful of conventions, and originally the Astrodome was planned to be used to house evacuees until December. However, the surrounding parking lots were needed for the first Houston Texans home game. Arrangements were made to help evacuees find apartments both in Houston and elsewhere in the United States. By September 16, 2005 the last of the evacuees living in the Astrodome had been moved out either to the neighboring Reliant Arena or to more permanent housing. As of September 20, 2005, the remaining evacuees were relocated to Arkansas Arkansas

Arkansas is a Southern [i] state [i] in the United States [i].... 

 due to Hurricane Rita Hurricane Rita

Hurricane Rita is the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane [i] ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone [i] ... 

.