CUPCAKES AND COCKTAILS FOR THE DOME 
It’s been a long week for the Astrodome. And whether you want to see the old thing saved or destroyed you might feel fairly wrecked yourself at this point. Could you stand to tip one back or perk up with some sugary calories? Well, a pair of local retailers are providing wares that just might do the trick: Through November 5, the date voters will decide whether to approve that bond measure that would pay for the Dome’s conversion into convention space, Triniti on S. Shepherd will be offering a special cocktail, the Colt 45. And through October 24 Crave Cupcakes will be selling at its Uptown Park and Upper Kirby locations the “Save the Dome” cupcake toppers shown in this photo. [Preservation Houston; previously on Swamplot] Photo: @KPRCawillis
Sign up for the Newsletter
If I buy one of those cupcakes, it will be to destroy the dome’s effigy with my mouth.
Perfect. People who don’t want the Dome saved don’t eat cake anyway. They just eat shit.
I’ll be selling “Demolish the Dome” Kobe Beef burgers, to demonstrate that you can spend your tax savings money on that vs. the delapidated architectural abortion that is the dome.
Those cupcakes look like something off the dessert menu at a breastaurant.
There’s no tax savings whether it’s renovated or demo’d unless we can go into a time machine and travel back to 2003.
__
For once I grudgingly agree with commonsense, bring the pain, and lance this boil of a boondoggle proposal. It just doesn’t pass my smell test; $150mil for an unprecedented renovation of a large scaled, novel concrete and steel bldg should look more like $300mil. 150mil! Maybe if it was made out of wood! Look how long it took UH to come up with the funds and expertise to restore the concrete facade of the Moody Towers from spalling. Something like 8-10 years! Concrete restoration of mid-1960’s mixtures is simply not that cheap. The bldg has been exposed to our elements for almost 50 years, who knows what kind of efflorescence and corrosion related problems are hidden in there. The interior partial demo work itself is super tricky that a late 4th quarter 2016 completion date looks highly ambitious. Go ahead and look at some of Brazil’s new/reno’d stadia where physical labor is cheaper and costs still run up in the $300 to $500 mil range for similarly sized/shaped venues. No clue how this is gonna be a done deal at ~200mil. I honestly wish we could keep the Dome but it might be too far gone or too expensive for us. Maybe theNiche could chime in on this one w/r/t scope and cost b/c I’ve love for my gut to be wrong on this proposal.
Back in the real world, there are several organized groups working to get the dome saved and none working to have it torn down. Polls have shown that a slight majority are in favor of saving the dome even before any organized efforts were formed. Enjoy eating your Astrodome cupcakes now because it will likely be the only destruction of the dome you will ever see.
I will vote to demolish the dome, not too long ago I read that it would cost over 200 million dollars to renovate the Dome with the tax payers footing the bill, no thanks.
Also in the media last week, Sheriff Garcia was on the news complaining about how he couldn’t hire or even retain current Deputies due to his budget and how his current Deputies haven’t had a raise in over 5 years, he also mentioned that he only had 8 Deputies available for one of the precints.
The crime in Houston & Harris Co. seems to be increasing at an alarming rate. I think our current Harris county officials need to get their priorities straight and be more concerned about putting a measure on the ballot to increase funding to put more boots on the ground to combat the ever increasing crime rate.
Tear down the dome, sell the land, start getting tax revenue. Is this too simple? Where is BITCH when needed?
Do any Dome boosters actually believe that the 200 million will be the end of it?
Because if that was the case I would be in support, the fact is the question is not if the Dome will run over budget, but when and by how much.
Additionally, this new convention center will never support itself thus the people of Harris county will constantly have to subsidize its operations.
Thanks but no thanks.
I speak for BITCH. BITCH loves Houston. BITCH hates internet bitches and loves to make fun of them. BITCH is in favor of keeping the dome and the forced removal of cheap, self-serving visionless internet whiners and other bitches with no imagination who would love nothing more than to make Houston as ordinary as possible in order save a buck. BITCH thinks that tax dollars spent saving the most notable, iconic structure that was ever built in Houston is a good thing. BITCH has no respect for those who aren’t interested in making things beyond their own front lawns attractive. BITCH says, SAVE THE DOME! Finally, BITCH is pleased with the dome saving efforts and the prospects of it’s survival, thankfully make BITCH just a little less bitchy, but not by much.
The jackals on here yipping to tear down the astrodome remind me of the people who tore down the shamrock Hilton.