Houston's 'Eighth Wonder Of The World' Is A Formerly Abandoned Sports Stadium With A Bright Future

North America is full of iconic sports venues, like Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox and the place where Babe Ruth made his Major League Baseball debut and Madison Square Garden, which hosted the Fight of the Century between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier and the inaugural Wrestlemania. Then there's golf's Augusta National, Chicago's Soldier Field, and the Daytona International Speedway. But only one venue has been dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World — the Astrodome.

Located in Houston, America's "second Sin City," the Astrodome was constructed in 1964 and opened to the public the following year as the world's first indoor, air-conditioned stadium. Now part of Houston's NRG sports complex, it served as home ground for both the Astros (Major League Baseball) and the Oilers (National Football League) franchises and introduced the world to artificial playing fields, fittingly known as AstroTurf. In 1971, Evil Knievel performed his record-breaking feat here, Billie Jean King ousted Bobby Riggs in the famous "Battle of the Sexes" a couple years later, and the likes of Elvis, Judy Garland, and ZZ Top have made appearances on the dome's stage.

There are older venues in the U.S., like Lambeau Field, where tailgating is on every American football fan's bucket list, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which was built in the early 20th century and still hosts one of the world's largest events. But the Astrodome has firmly cemented its place in American cultural lore.

History hasn't always been kind to Houston's most iconic sports venue. The Oilers upped sticks to Tennessee in 1997, later becoming known as the Titans. Then the Astros moved to Minute Maid Park, now Daikin Park, an ad hoc baseball venue. Then, the Astrodome was shuttered by the City of Houston in 2008 due to code violations, and by 2013, the National Trust had added it to the list of America's most endangered historic places. But wiser heads have prevailed: the Astrodome is now on the National Register of Historic Places, and Houston's "lonely landmark" is staring at a brighter future.

Though an initial renovation plan failed at the referendum stage, public support and National Trust backing have helped push for an architectural facelift for the beloved stadium. Referred to as Vision: Astrodome, the proposed billion-dollar project aims to maintain the venue as an entertainment arena while also introducing offices, restaurants, and shops. If accepted, construction could be underway in 2026. 

Architectural firm Gensler has been tasked with the new design and plans to introduce an arcing boulevard, inspired by New York's High Line, that will cut through the Astrodome. It will also build four new structures within the dome: a rodeo experience, a NASA center, a food hall, and a retail village, with the nonprofit the Astrodome Conservancy spearheading the rebuild. As founding board member of the Astrodome Conservancy Judy Nyquist says, "The Astrodome can and should be the heartbeat of a new, global entertainment destination at NRG Park" (per The Architect's Newspaper).