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HOUSTON - Fifty-eight years ago, the Astrodome opened its doors to the public. It's no longer in use, but one Houstonian is trying to keep the nostalgia alive.
On April 9, 1965, the Houston Astros played in an exhibition game against The New York Yankees. The sold-out crowd commemorated the opening of a Houston landmark.
"It took it to an international status, so when people talked about Houston, they said, ‘Oh, that’s where the Astrodome is.’ And when people said the Astrodome, they nationally said, ‘That’s Houston," said Mike Acosta with Astrodome reIMAGINEd. "There was nothing like this in the world."
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For the next 43 years, the most memorable moments in Houston were held inside the Astrodome.
"I mean you talk about everybody that is the greatest in their field that came here, Neil Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Elvis. There’s so many different generations that came here and did what they do best in this building. But this is really Houston’s living room," said Acosta.
The building was officially closed in 2008 due to various code violations but has since been put on the National Register of Historic Places and received a state historical marker.
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Acosta explained, "When you look at the Astrodome, it stands right there with the Alamo and the State Capitol whether people realize it or not. That’s the type of protection we have on it."
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The future of the Astrodome
EDITORS NOTE: This video is from a previous story. The Astrodome Conservancy had the chance to get input from the public on what to do with the historic Houston location Thursday night. FOX 26 Houston speaks with Executive director, Beth Wiedower Jackson to learn more.
The Astrodome now sits next to NRG Stadium unused.
However, Mike Acosta hopes to change that with his new project, Astrodome reIMAGINEd.
"Personally as a Houstonian, you want to see this building operational," he said. "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."
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The detailed plan is under wraps for the time being, but he hopes to bring the Astrodome back into the hands of Houstonians once again by transforming it into a space everyone can enjoy.
"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," said Acosta.
Ideally, if everything goes as planned, Acosta foresees the project being completed by 2026.