Texans OP-ED: It's Time For The Astrodome To Come Down

There's a new plan to demolish the Astrodome. The Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo want to knock it down and create a green space in time for the 2017 Super Bowl, which will be hosted in NRG Stadium next door.

The $66-million plan would tear down virtually the Astrodome, replacing it with a ring of structural columns resembling those now surrounding the stadium. The columns would bear plaques commemorating athletes and artists who performed in the dome.

The site would be covered with green space, possibly surrounding a small replica of the Astrodome that would serve as a museum to the stadium’s history. The plan’s proponents compare it to Discovery Green, the park that helped transform the east side of downtown Houston.

Sounds good, but the county commissioners are not on board, suggesting that most people in Harris County want the Dome preserved because of its cultural significance.

I think that if they can demolish the old Yankee Stadium with nary a second thought, then the Astrodome should come down as well. It should have been brought down years ago. Now it's not fit for occupancy, and the county has less than three years to decide what to do with it.

Houston hosted the Super Bowl In 2004, and the country got to say "hey, cool, there's the Astrodome." In 2017, they'll be saying "THAT's the Astrodome?" Simply put: it's time to bring it down, and a beautiful green space in the middle of Parking Lot Ocean would be the best solution.

But these are just my thoughts; do you agree or disagree? What should the county do with the Dome? Discuss.