Required reading for Texans, and anyone else interested in the history of the Astrodome: Ode to the Astrodome:
“It was the Taj Mahal of sports, the 8th Wonder of the world, called the ‘Can-Do Cathedral’ in response to those who said it could never be built. This vast structure was large enough to comfortably house an 18 story building. It was here that Ali danced, Elvis sang, Billy Graham preached, Evel Knievel jumped over cars on his motorcycle, and Elvin Hayes met Lew Alcindor in an epic college basketball contest. It has hosted polo matches, soccer and ice hockey games, bullfights, auto races, rodeos, conventions, boat shows, and even a little tennis match between a woman and a self-described male chauvinist pig. Robert Altman even made a movie here. It was an unmatched engineering marvel, though not necessarily a beautiful structure; Larry McMurtry once called it ‘the working end of the world’s largest deodorant stick.’
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An excellent article.
