The Astrodome
...and then there was astroturf
Houston opened the Harris County Domed Stadium in 1965, billed by owner Roy Hofheinz as the Eighth Wonder of the World. Better known as the Astrodome, the stadium originally featured natural grass -- but the semi-transparent roof panels made fly balls nearly impossible to see. The grass died when the panels were painted, and Astroturf was born.
The touted advantage of domed stadiums is the elimination of rain-outs, but at the Astrodome that has not always been the case. The stadium flooded on June 15, 1976, prompting the game to be called.
With the football Oilers, who share the Astrodome with the baseball team, abandoning Texas for Nashville, Tennessee, the Astros are leaving their long-time home for a new retractable-dome stadium -- with natural grass -- scheduled to open downtown in 2000.
Home Plate
Wrigley Field | Fenway Park & Yankee Stadium | The Astrodome
SkyDome & Le Stade Olympique
Turner Field, Oriole Park & Comiskey Park
Crosley Field & Forbes Field | Ebbets Field
Stadium Food | Future Parks
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