Nonprofit head on plans to revive Astrodome: 'It stands right there with the Alamo and the State Capitol'

Situated near where Fannin Street and Loop 610 meet, the Astrodome was essentially Houston’s premier sports and entertainment venue for nearly 40 years.

After the so-called “Eighth Wonder of the World” closed its doors following the opening of what’s now known as NRG Stadium nearby in the early part of this century, it has laid dormant and dilapidated with numerous ideas for its revival broached, but failing to materialize.

Houston FOX affiliate KRIV reported that one man and his nonprofit organization want to try their hand at giving the former abode of the Houston Astros and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) another chance at wowing Houstonians.

"When you look at the Astrodome, it stands right there with the Alamo and the State Capitol whether people realize it or not,” Mike Acosta told KRIV in reference to the storied edifice’s status as an entry on the National Register of Historic Places and a recipient of a marker from the Texas Historical Commission (THC).

Acosta added that his organization, Astrodome reIMAGINEd, has plans to reopen it in some capacity though the details remain undisclosed, according to the report.

"Personally as a Houstonian, you want to see this building operational,” he said to KRIV. "You don’t want to see it just closed with more generations of Houstonians or people coming to town and seeing it and not being able to go inside because it is a very magical type of place."

Per Acosta, what was once Space City’s “living room” received the likes of Neil Armstrong, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley aside from bearing witness to hundreds of games played by the Astros and the defunct Houston Oilers, who currently play in Nashville, Tennessee as the Tennessee Titans.

He, however, divulged to KRIV that his vision for the Astrodome goes beyond sports.

"I think that everybody is stuck looking at it as a stadium, and if you can look at it as a building and what it can be brought to, how you can program the concourses, how you can locate different revenue centers in this building, that is the future," Acosta said.

KRIV reported that if Acosta’s plans move forward without a hitch, the project could see completion within the next three to four years.