Houston voters reject Astrodome plan, demolition likely, per report

A referendum to turn the stadium into a convention center failed to pass, leaving the dome open to razing.

By NoahCJ Nov 5, 2013, 11:22pm EST

Voters in Houston have rejected a plan to turn the Astrodome into a convention center, leaving the site vulnerable to demolition, according to an Associate Press report.

The Tuesday vote would have authorized $217 million in bonds to be used in renovations to turn the stadium into an enormous space to be used for conventions and exhibitions. Under the proposal, the inner seats would have been removed and the floor would have been raised to street level to create about 350,000 square feet of space. The cost of demolishing the stadium has been estimated to be anywhere from $29-78 million

The Astrodome opened in 1965 as the Harris County Domed Stadium and was the world's first multi-purpose dome. It played host to the Houston Astros from its opening until 1999 when the team moved to Minute Maid Park. In addition, the NFL's Houston Oilers used the stadium from 1967 until their move to Tennessee in 1997. The stadium has lacked a tenant since 2006 and has been closed since 2009.

There had been plans as recently as this summer to renovate the stadium for nearly $200 million in anticipation of the 2017 Super Bowl that will be held in Houston.

In addition to it's usage by Houston-based athletic teams, the Astrodome also played host to the numerous concerts, the famous "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match, boxing matches, Wrestlemania X-Seven and daredevil stunts.

Now, what was once dubbed the "eighth wonder of the world" seems destined to become a parking lot for the Houston Texan's Reliant Stadium.