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The astrodome. The
Astrodome opened the 9 of April, 1965 and the first game was one of exhibition
against the Yankees of New York. From this moment the Astrodome was recognized
like the ' Eighth Wonder of the world. The great structure but of the world and
the first multiple facility use under ceiling, the Astrodome was a symbol of
which the future it would bring. What symbolized for those people who made it
possible, it was different. It symbolized the dream that the professional
baseball would arrive at Houston, a dream that also began in 1956 by three men
not only interested in businesses but in making its dreams. These heroes were
George Kirksey, William Kirkland and Craig Cullinan. When the equipment was
named for the city of Houston in 1960, the foundation of the stage operated and
appropriated by the County of Harris already was in process. In January of the
1957, Kirksey, Kirkland and Cullinan formed group HSA (Houston Sports
Association), this group settled down to attract baseball equipment. After
speaking on the project with the Great Leagues the answer it was, "They
construct a stage and we spoke later on the equipment." During the summer of
1959, the search of the land in where to construct the stage began and to the
same time Bob Smith became a very important member of HSA. Smith
presented/displayed to their good friend and Ex- judge of the Harris County and
mayor to him of the city of Houston, Judge Roy Hofheinz, to the HSA. Hofheinz
gave the idea him to Smith to use its land to construct the stage. With Kirksey,
Cullinan and Smith involved in bringing the equipment Great Leagues to the city,
Hofheinz worked in the details and visions of the futurist stage that would be
unique. "I knew that with the high temperatures, the humidity and rains, we
needed a stage with ceiling that was of multiple uses," Hofheinz said. "We also
wanted a stage that was a paradise for the fanatics, and that was used for other
events in addition to sports."
When Kirksey, Cullinan, the Smiths and Hofheinz went to Chicago in October of
the 1960 to the conferences of owners of the Great Leagues, they had confidence
that National Liga went to give the equipment to them. The Architects had
constructed a retort of which he went to be the Astrodome and the 17 were taught
to it for the first time to the owners of October. That same day but late, New
York and Houston were chosen as the new ones you yield for equipment in National
Liga that already had 10 equipment. Many think that it was the idea of Hofheinz
that convinced the owners to choose to the city of Houston to have the new
equipment and that in truth deserved them. After all, no single the owners
seemed to be impressed by the new structure, if not also the electorate of the
County of Harris. After six months of drawings and planning, Hofheinz, their
colleagues in HSA, architects and assistants, obtained their day of glory the 3
of January of the 1962 when the construction of the Astrodome began. With the
construction in process and considered to last three years, same Hofheinz
financed the construction of the Colt Stage; a seasonal stage for the Colt
equipment 45's that would play there by three seasons. The stage that was
outdoors, tapeworm a capacity of 32.000 fanatics, but with the temperatures high
and mosquitoes in the summer much people was not animated to go to the games.
The construction was finalized at the end of the 1964. In honor to the
importance of the city of Houston to the space program, appropriately the
Astrodome was named, and to maintain the subject space, the Colt 45's were
famous the Stars. The baseball in Houston left the outskirts and it changed
under ceiling the 9 of April of 1965 to the structure where the climate if it
would be possible to be controlled. With Hofheinz being the owner of the
equipment and the in charge person in taking the baseball under ceiling, it
received the name of "the father of the baseball under ceiling." With million
fans visiting the Astrodome the first year, the only problem was gram natural.
The honeycombs of the ceiling were painted by the difficulty that the gardeners
had seeing the ball in the air. The solution was a green carpet that seemed gram
and was extended on the game land and would take the place from gram natural.
Gram artificial well-known as "Turf Stars" were invented. |
