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Opened in 1965, the Astrodome was the world's first multipurpose, domed sports stadium. Image by EricEnfermero. This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Vote to designate Astrodome state landmark postponed

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf

Opened in 1965, the Astrodome was the world's first multipurpose, domed sports stadium. Image by EricEnfermero. This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Opened in 1965, the Astrodome was the world’s first multipurpose, domed sports stadium. Image by EricEnfermero. This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
HOUSTON (AP) – The Texas Historical Commission has postponed a vote on whether to designate the Houston Astrodome as a “state antiquities landmark,” a status that would make demolishing the iconic structure harder.

The commission postponed the vote Wednesday during its meeting in the West Texas city of Alpine.

The Astrodome is in no immediate danger of being torn down, despite voter rejection last year of a $217 million bond issue to turn it into a multipurpose special events center. Nevertheless, its future remains uncertain.

The designation would mean any proposal to alter or demolish the Astrodome would need commission approval. While the designation doesn’t bar demolition, preservation groups say it would provide an extra layer of protection.

The Astrodome has been closed to all events since 2009.

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AP-WF-07-30-14 0504GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Opened in 1965, the Astrodome was the world's first multipurpose, domed sports stadium. Image by EricEnfermero. This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Opened in 1965, the Astrodome was the world’s first multipurpose, domed sports stadium. Image by EricEnfermero. This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.