Category Archive: Essays.Dome-Sweet-Dome

Larry Dierker: A Look Back at the Astrodome

As a Little Leaguer in Southern California, I was thrilled when…

Tal Smith: Reflections on the Opening of the Astrodome

I have been fortunate to work in professional baseball for almost…

50 Years and Counting: What Does the Future Hold for the Astrodome? 

It has been 50 years since the Astrodome first opened to worldwide…

Astrodome as the Home to Sports Other Than Baseball

Like other circular-shaped, multipurpose stadiums of the so-called…

The Astrodome: Back to the Future, Part 4

Rising from the prairie grass, a few miles south of downtown…

The Astrodome: The Eighth Wonder of the World Changed Sports and Spectatorship in America

The Houston Astrodome was the first fully enclosed, air-conditioned…

Bud Adams, Roy Hofheinz, and the Astrodome Feud

When Roy Hofheinz took charge of the Astrodome project, he envisioned…

The Rise and Fall of Artificial Turf

There was a time, not long ago, when many people hoped, or feared,…

George Kirksey, Craig Cullinan, and Houston’s Quest for a Major-League Team

For the Astrodome to be built, many intricate pieces had to fall…

Houston Astrodome: Engineering the Eighth Wonder of the World

In order to bring the Astrodome to fruition, given the project’s…