“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it … he who doesn’t… pays it.
— Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-born physicist, considered one of the most influential scientists.
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It’s your shining moment on the big television game show. The emcee declares loudly, “For today’s jackpot and a chance to come back next week for the grand prize championship round … what is the Eighth Wonder of the World?”
While there appears to be no single official list of “wonders of the world” found among internet intelligence, real or artificial, several unofficial lists claim legitimacy. Included are Natural Wonders of the World, Ancient Wonders of the World, and the New Seven Wonders of the World. The latter still leaves one wondering what the Eighth Wonder of the World might be.
But if, like me, a card-carrying Texan old enough to remember when a dollar’s worth of gas would get you to school and back all week, then you don’t have to be an Einstein to know the correct answer. The architectural masterpiece dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World in Houston was part of our youth.
All of this came to mind recently after passing the world’s first domed sports stadium for the first time in many years. I was lost in Houston, a common occurrence when I visit there, but I knew where I was when I saw the Astrodome.
Originally named “The Houston Domed Stadium,” the name was reportedly changed in 1965 when the new expansion team, the Astros, opened the stadium with a 2-1 exhibition victory against the New York Yankees. It was the age of space exploration, and Houston had just landed the NASA Space Center. Local businessman R.E. “Bob” Smith teamed with former Houston Mayor and Harris County Judge Roy Hofheinz to develop what would become known as the Astrodome.
“The Eighth Wonder of the World is looking a little forlorn,” I thought when I saw it recently. Less glamorous than when it was a frequent destination for me in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Astros Baseball games. Oilers football games. Motorcycle races. The Fat Stock Show and Rodeo.
My relationship started with sports. Sitting high in the only domed stadium in the world. Taking it all in with Mount Pleasant friend, Randy Brogoitti. The baseball was great, but the after-game concerts by country music stars of the day were icing on the cake.
Into the ’70s, my focus shifted to championship motorcycle racing. Anticipation for the January trek from Mount Pleasant to Houston for Camel Pro Series racing began building the day after Christmas. The Mount Pleasant crowd making the trip differed yearly, but Oscar Elliott and I were always there. My archive of thousands of Kodachrome slides includes trackside shots of 70s standouts like Yamaha rider Kenny Roberts. Waiting to be viewed one more time. Along with press and trackside credentials for many of the events.
Fat Stock Show and Rodeo entertainment hosted in the ‘Dome included names like Alabama to Alan Jackson, Bob Dylan to Chicago, Conway Twitty to Dolly Parton, and more. Record attendance concerts over the years included Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, and George Strait, who set the venue record at 80,266 at the last show in the Astrodome in 2002. Strait’s “One Last Time” performance closed the Rodeo and said goodbye to the Dome.
Even Evel Knievel staged one of his historic motorcycle jumps, successfully clearing 13 cars there two nights in a row.
But for all its records, glory, and history, time caught up with the Eighth Wonder of the World in 2008 when the Houston Fire Department declared it non-compliant with fire codes. The seating was removed, and parts of it demolished, rendering it closed.
In 2014, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In a 2023 competition by the American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), a University of Houston architecture team spent the summer studying the building. A plan was proposed to transform the iconic structure into an indoor public street with a botanical garden, retail space, hotel rooms, and a massive museum dedicated to the Dome’s history.
The concept was awarded first place. However, according to information available, county leaders have yet to respond. Still, local architects are hopeful the plan will save the historic architecture.
Seeing the famous stadium recently renewed old memories. Restoration will take lots of money at simple or compound interest rates. But maybe she will get a chance to return for the championship round soon.
“Yes, Alex, I’ll take $1,000 for Eighth Wonder of the World in Texas.”
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Update: This piece was penned last Monday and appeared in print publications around midweek. Thursday, an article posted in the Texas Flyover, an excellent online news source with all Texas news content, announced the unveiling of a $1 billion redevelopment plan by the Houston Astrodome Conservancy. The plan seeks to turn the empty Eighth Wonder of the World into a multipurpose space with four modern buildings, a retail village, and a central boulevard inspired by New York’s High Line.
It also stated that The Conservancy hopes to raise up to $750 million from private sources.
So, it appears that the historic structure will get to return for the grand prize championship round after all.
—Leon Aldridge
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(Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons – Reliant Astrodome)
Aldridge columns are featured in these publications: The Mount Pleasant Tribune, the Rosenberg Fort Bend Herald, the Taylor Press, the Alpine Avalanche, the Fort Stockton Pioneer, the Elgin Courier, The Monitor in Naples, and Motor Sports Magazine.
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