Astrodome
Houston TX
July 13, 2003
By
Ken Schlapp
Today I got to see
the eighth wonder of the world. Yes, I’m talking about the Houston
Astrodome, which is now known as the Reliant Astrodome. Built in
1965, this was
 the first domed multi-purpose stadium ever built. It
was and is a truly amazing piece of architecture, and was quite
necessary in Houston. The Houston Colt 45s were an expansion team
in 1962 (along with the New York Mets). The city of Houston was
only awarded a Major League Baseball franchise under the condition
that they would build an indoor stadium because Houston was simply
too hot, humid and rainy to make playing baseball on a regular basis
bearable for both fans and players.
The Colt 45s played
their first 3 seasons at Colt Stadium, which was adjacent to the
current Astrodome. This stadium ended up being more famous for the
huge mosquitos and the heat than it did for baseball. Once the
Astrodome opened, Colt Stadium was primarily used as a storage
facility, but Astros owner Roy Hofheinz considered it an eyesore and
had it painted gray so it would not be noticeable in aerial photos
next to his prized Astrodome. Eventually, it was sold, taken apart,
moved to Torreon, Mexico, then to Tampico, Mexico, where it
currently is part of a public playground. Unfortunately, there is
no marking of where it used to be, so I could not take any pictures
or note anything of significance today.
Once the Colt 45s
moved to the Astrodome in 1965, they changed their name to the
Astros and eventually played on artificial turf, which became to be
known universally as
 Astroturf. They tried to grow natural grass,
but regardless of the partial lighting from the skylights, the grass
could not properly be maintained. Therefore, the first artificial
surface used for sporting events was born. The sad part here is
that as amazing as it is to have invented Astroturf, it is awful to
forego playing on natural grass. The Astros played here until the
end of the 1999 season. College and pro football were played in the
dome until 2006, while the Rodeo was held here until 2003. It is
currently still standing next to Reliant Stadium (home of the
Houston Texans)There had been talk of tearing it down, while at the
same time it is being considered as a possible historical landmark.
I was lucky enough
to contact Gerry Braud, who is in charge of the stadium, prior to my
visit to Houston. He gave me a personalized tour of the Astrodome.
Although I am disappointed that I was never able to see a live game
here, Gerry did provide me with an amazing tour in which I got to
actually walk around on the field. One of the first things that
struck me about this place was how small it looked next to Reliant
Stadium. When the Astrodome was built it was amongst the largest
and grandest stadiums, but it is truly dwarfed by Reliant stadium.
Gerry took me
around the concourses and the field on a golf cart while telling me
about the history of the Dome and how only the Rodeo and high school
baseball are played here now. Once inside I was amazed at how
majestic the roof was. The skylights at the top of the dome are
beautiful and symmetric. I also noticed the US and Texas flags
prominently displayed hanging from the rafters. Whatever you want
to say about Texas, I certainly am impressed with their patriotism
to their country a nd state. Walking around on the field and gazing
upward as the players had done in the past was clearly one of my
most memorable experiences on this trip. The photo I took looking
up at the sky lighted ceiling may be my favorite photo from my
entire trip. The seats were still the old yellow and orange colors
that the Astros wore on those rainbow uniforms in the 70s and 80s.
When you look towards the seats behind home plate, it almost looks
as if you are staring at one of those uniforms. Some people thought
those uniforms were awful, but I loved them so I was happy to see
the shirt-looking stadium!
Gerry also invited
me to see the new Reliant Stadium, which opened in 2002 for
Football. The most interesting part of this tour is that when we
drove right into the center of the stadium, we were on concrete and
there was no grass or turf to be found. They roll the turf in and
out depending on the event taking place. It was very strange to see
it so empty of everything, but impressive, nonetheless. I also was
able to see how much larger this place is compared to the Astrodome.
Overall, it was a
great experience to visit here, and I truly appreciated of the
generosity of Gerry to take me around these two majestic stadiums.
From the Astrodome,
I hopped back in my car, to take a 45-minute drive down to Alvin,
Texas to see the Nolan Ryan Center (Museum). The Nolan Ryan Center
exists on the campus of Alvin Community College and is an
educational center that was donated by the Nolan Ryan Foundation in
1996. About 1/3 of the center is dedicated as a Nolan Ryan Museum,
with, history, statistics, photos, and videos documenting Nolan
Ryan’s Hall of Fame career and life. Unfortunately, for me, I did
not realize that it was closed on Sundays and I was not able to make
my way inside the Museum. I was very disappointed I couldn’t get
in. I was just able to take a photo and move on. The only bright
side for me is that I do visit Houston for work on a frequent basis,
so I know I will have more opportunities to come back.
My final stop on
today’s journey was to visit The Finger Furniture Center. Sounds
like a typical baseball sight doesn’t it? I know it doesn’t, but it
is definitely worthy of a stop on a baseball journey. This store is
at the site of the former Buff’s Stadium, which was the home of the
Texas League’s Houston Buffaloes. The ballpark was built in 1928
and was demolished in 1963 and replaced by the furniture store soon
thereafter. Thankfully, they commemorated the old ballpark by
imbedding a plaque on the floor to indicate where home plate once
stood. In addition, they have added memorabilia commemorating the
history of baseball (and other sports) in Houston within the store.
If you love baseball history, you should definitely pay a visit to
this furniture store.
Bottom line – Even
though I didn’t see a game today, I got to see the eighth wonder of
the world and a great baseball shrine. My only mishap was showing
up in Alvin on the day the Nolan Ryan Museum was closed.
Basic trip facts:
Old Stadium Sites
visited – Astrodome (Total – 10)
-Under construction Stadium Sites visited – None (Total – 1)
-Miles traveled – 2,080 via Car (Totals: Driving – 12,989, Subway -
20, Air - 3,196, Total – 16,225)
-States, provinces and/or commonwealths passed through – Texas,
Oklahoma (Totals: States – 31, Provinces – 0, Commonwealths - 1)
-Attendance – 1
-Lodging – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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