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Astrodome in Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
 

Astrodome

 
 
Astrodome Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Anderson, July 6, 2018
1. Astrodome Marker
Inscription. Judge Roy Hofheinz envisioned the world's first air-conditioned fully enclosed multi-purpose stadium by 1960. Officially named the Harris County Domed Stadium, ground was broken for the home of Major League Baseball's Houston Colt .45s on January 3, 1962, with Colt .45 pistols fired into the soil. Later named the "Astrodome" for the Houston-based NASA space program and the renamed Houston Astros, the dome opened on April 9, 1965, with a 12-inning, 2-1 Astros exhibition win over the New York Yankees with President Lyndon B. Johnson in attendance.

Architectural firms Lloyd & Morgan and Wilson, Morris, Crain & Anderson led the design team for what was termed an engineering marvel and "The Eighth Wonder of the World." The Astrodome is a domed circular concrete and steel framed building featuring a lamella truss roof, with a clear span of 642 feet. The roof consists of wood-fiber-concrete boards, steel framing, and 4,596 Lucite skylights. The original field was natural grass, replaced in 1966 with the first synthetic turf field, known as "Astroturf." The 'sky boxes' were the first-ever stadium luxury suites. The structure was built to withstand sustained winds of 130 mph and gusts up to 165. It has survived two major hurricanes: Alicia in 1983 and Ike in 2008. In 2005, the dome sheltered about 16,000 Hurricane Katrina refugees.

Along
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with the Astros, the stadium was home to Houston Oilers and Houston Cougars football, Houston Rockets basketball, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Special sporting events included four Muhammad Ali boxing matches, the basketball "Game of the Century" in 1968 between University of Houston and UCLA, and the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis exhibition in 1973. Notable concerts, political conventions and gatherings also kept the Astrodome in the national consciousness. From 1965-2002, Astrodome turnstiles counted more than 100 million people.

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2018

 
Erected 2018 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 18938.)
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: ArchitectureEntertainmentSports. A significant historical date for this entry is April 9, 1965.
 
Location. 29° 41.069′ N, 95° 24.55′ W. Marker is in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Astrodome. Marker can be reached from NRG Parkway, 0.3 miles east of Kirby Drive, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located on the west side of the Astrodome, facing NRG Stadium. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3 NRG Parkway, Houston TX 77054, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Holcombe House (approx. 1.8 miles away); The Roy and Lillie Cullen Building
Astrodome Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Anderson, July 6, 2018
2. Astrodome Marker
(approx. 2 miles away); Pioneer Memorial Log House (approx. 2.1 miles away); San Jacinto Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (approx. 2.1 miles away); Temple Lodge No. 4 A.F. & A.M. (approx. 2.2 miles away); Autry House (approx. 2.3 miles away); Rice University (approx. 2˝ miles away); City of West University Place (approx. 2.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Houston.
 
Also see . . .  Astrodome - The Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) (Submitted on July 7, 2018, by Brian Anderson of Humble, Texas.) 
 
Astrodome image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Anderson, July 6, 2018
3. Astrodome
View of the Astrodome from the east. Marker is located on the opposite side of the stadium.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 7, 2018, by Brian Anderson of Humble, Texas. This page has been viewed 671 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on July 7, 2018, by Brian Anderson of Humble, Texas. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024