Architect’s dream: Pool atop the Astrodome
The designers behind a proposal to strip the skin off the Astrodome and expose the steel structure beneath it, effectively creating an open-air park, were in town recently to drum up support for their admittedly ambitious plan.
Their vision, called A-Dome Park, would convert the Dome into a public space that would be programmed with activities and have a 2-mile track for walking, jogging and cycling that would gently spiral from the ground level to the top of the structure.
Los Angeles-based architect James Richards said he and his collaborator, Ben Olschner, were seeking to raise awareness for their plan to reimagine what is arguably Houston’s most famous building, which is owned by Harris County.
After years of debating the future of the former sports stadium, county officials approved a plan to convert the Dome to an events venue with a large underground parking lot.
The price tag for that project was $105 million, with about a third of the cost to come from the county’s property taxsupported general fund. The remainder would be funded by hotel occupancy taxes and parking revenues.
But the plan was approved under the
previous county administration, and after Lina Hidalgo was elected county judge last year, replacing longtime Judge Ed Emmett, she’s took a step back from the project to analyze its viability and focus on what she said are more pressing issues.
“We realize it’s a long uphill battle for us,” Richards said. “What we’re proposing has never been done in the world.”
They recently produced digital images showing a swimming pool on the upper level of the dome’s outer ring, complete with an infinity edge and a glass bottom, and another depicting a Christmas market being held inside the structure.
The pool image, Richards notes, was done for fun and wasn’t part of the initial plan.
“A lot of people complain that Houston’s too hot,” he said. “We just answered the call.”