The Oilers last played in Houston in 1996, and their stadium, the Astrodome, was declared unfit for occupancy in 2009. But the Astrodome, as dilapidated as it is, still stands in the parking lot of NRG Stadium.
And it might reopen in three years after a proposed Astrodome renovation took another step forward Tuesday. According to the Houston Chronicle, Harris County Commissioners Court voted to seek a construction manager at risk for the project. Commissioners Court will vote on the construction, which would cost roughly $95 million to raise the Dome’s floors and install two levels of parking underneath, next year.
The Astrodome has been a source of debate in the city and appeared on the verge of demolition in 2013 when voters rejected a $217 million bond proposal for renovations. A renovation would open the 550,000-square-foot building for festivals and conferences with potential commercial uses, per the Chronicle.
The Astrodome, opened in 1965 as the world’s first multipurpose, domed sports stadium, was dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” It was home to the Oilers and the Astros and hosted other major sporting events, including Muhammad Ali’s fights, the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973 and the “Game of the Century” basketball game between the University of Houston and UCLA in 1968.