Voters Nix Astrodome Renovation Plans

Voters in Haris County, Texas rejected a referendum on Tuesday that would have supplied $217 million for renovating the Houston Astrodome.

Voters in Harris County, Texas rejected a referendum on Tuesday that would have supplied $217 million for renovating the Houston Astrodome. The renovation would have turned the arena from a multipurpose sports stadium into a convention center and exhibition space. With 97 percent of precincts reporting, 53percent have voted against funding the renovation.

While voters did not explicitly decide to tear down the stadium, the failed referendum leaves it without any funding. As Judge Ed Emmett, a member of the Commissioners Court that manages the county, said according to the Associate Press, "If we can't spend tax dollars to repurpose the dome and there are no private dollars to repurpose the dome, then the only thing at that point is we can't leave it sitting there. So it would have to come down." That decision still has yet to be made.

A spokesperson for the National Trust for Historic Preservation told the Houston Chronicle, "Its legacy will live on even if it doesn't. It seems like it's fate is sealed obviously we are disappointed in the outcome."

"The Eighth Wonder of the World" was completed in 1965 and played host to the MLB's Houston Astros and the the NFL's Houston Oilers at various points throughout its lifetime, but has been closed since 2009.