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The Eighth Wonder of the World: The Life of Houston's Iconic Astrodome
When it opened in 1965, the Houston Astrodome, nicknamed the Eighth Wonder of the World, captured the attention of an entire nation, bringing pride to the city and enhancing its reputation nationwide. It was a Texas-sized vision of the future, an unthinkable feat of engineering with premium luxury suites, theater-style seating, and the first animated scoreboard. Yet there were memorable problems such as outfielders’ inability to see fly balls and failed attempts to grow natural grass—which ultimately led to the development of Astroturf. The Astrodome nonetheless changed the way people viewed sports, putting casual fans at the forefront of a user-experience approach that soon became the standard in all American sports.
The Eighth Wonder of the World tears back the facade and details the Astrodome’s role in transforming Houston as a city while also chronicling the building’s pivotal fifty years in existence and the ongoing debate about its preservation.
The Eighth Wonder of the World tears back the facade and details the Astrodome’s role in transforming Houston as a city while also chronicling the building’s pivotal fifty years in existence and the ongoing debate about its preservation.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 6, 2016
When the Houston Astrodome opened for its first baseball game in April 1965, it was so unlike any other sports stadium that was in use at the time. How the iconic structure came into being and what it meant to the city of Houston and to sports stadiums is captured in this outstanding book by Robert Thompson and Kenneth Womack.
While the Astrodome was the home field for both baseball’s Houston Astros and football’s Houston Oilers, the book’s sports passages concentrate on baseball and the quirks it presented as a ballpark. The early flaws that are well-known such as the glare from the original roof and the death of the natural grass inside the dome are covered well in the book and how quickly the problems were addressed.
However, the best writing in the book is saved for the political maneuvering (both in government and in baseball) to get the Astrodome built. Thompson and Womack describe all the deals and pleading that Roy Hofheinz and others had to work in order to gain approval. The baseball politics to make sure that Houston would get a team to be a tenant in the Dome was just as intriguing as that was not a sure bet either.
No matter the topic covered, every aspect of the stadium’s history was chronicled and written in a such a manner that will make the reader want to learn more. Even topics such as the architecture of the stadium and the push for destruction of the currently empty mausoleum made for interesting reading.
Throughout the book, the two authors emphasize how the Astrodome not only made Houston a “big league” city, but they also noted that many of the innovations in the fans’ experience at a stadium, such as in-house restaurants, padded seating and a video scoreboard, are here today because of Hofheniz’s vision. The authors also made the same observation for items such as private boxes. Other teams and stadiums copied this because after all, as the authors stated, “luxury was not a patentable commodity.”
Any reader who wants to learn more about this state-of-the-art (for its time) stadium and its history and the current push to decide its fate should read this book. It covers the entire history of the “Eighth Wonder of the World” in one terrific book.
I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
While the Astrodome was the home field for both baseball’s Houston Astros and football’s Houston Oilers, the book’s sports passages concentrate on baseball and the quirks it presented as a ballpark. The early flaws that are well-known such as the glare from the original roof and the death of the natural grass inside the dome are covered well in the book and how quickly the problems were addressed.
However, the best writing in the book is saved for the political maneuvering (both in government and in baseball) to get the Astrodome built. Thompson and Womack describe all the deals and pleading that Roy Hofheinz and others had to work in order to gain approval. The baseball politics to make sure that Houston would get a team to be a tenant in the Dome was just as intriguing as that was not a sure bet either.
No matter the topic covered, every aspect of the stadium’s history was chronicled and written in a such a manner that will make the reader want to learn more. Even topics such as the architecture of the stadium and the push for destruction of the currently empty mausoleum made for interesting reading.
Throughout the book, the two authors emphasize how the Astrodome not only made Houston a “big league” city, but they also noted that many of the innovations in the fans’ experience at a stadium, such as in-house restaurants, padded seating and a video scoreboard, are here today because of Hofheniz’s vision. The authors also made the same observation for items such as private boxes. Other teams and stadiums copied this because after all, as the authors stated, “luxury was not a patentable commodity.”
Any reader who wants to learn more about this state-of-the-art (for its time) stadium and its history and the current push to decide its fate should read this book. It covers the entire history of the “Eighth Wonder of the World” in one terrific book.
I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
February 11, 2017
A well-researched account of the building of the Houston Astrodome and the winner of the 2017 Seymour Medal from the Society for American Baseball Research. This book focused primarily on the political maneuvering that took place behind the scenes, led by the unflappable Judge Roy Hofheinz, and the innovative engineering required to get this futuristic ballpark design off the pages of an architect's board to become reality. Now that the Astrodome has been stuck without a primary tenant for a decade and its future remains uncertain, it's a good time to look back and appreciate the Dome's legacy. The authors describe just how important the ballpark was to Houston, which transformed from a regional oil town to "Space City" during the 1960s. The Dome's high-tech amenities and luxurious features also overhauled the expectations of sports spectators forever. No longer were the spartan conditions of old ballparks worthy of the modern fan, which makes it ironic that less than 25 years into the Astrodome's lifespan, it was being criticized for being behind the times. But in its heyday, the Dome was truly the "Eighth Wonder of the World."
June 12, 2022
An excellent book about the granddaddy of every modern stadium, the Houston Astrodome. It goes into detail about the history of Houston and how they made an effort to transform the city from an oil and cattle town to a modern city. That effort helped the city to get a baseball team. It also profiles Astros owner and Astrodome visionary Judge Roy Hofheinz. The book talks about how the Dome was paid for and built. It ends with the end of the Dome as an active facility with an unknown future.
June 10, 2017
Very well researched and engaging look at the Astrodome, not just the construction and history but the movement to being MLB to Houston that preceded it, and the legacy and preservation battles in recent years.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews