Houston is a city that is supposedly over 175 years old but that’s not really the truth. For a long time it lingered stuck as a small town. The humidity, the heat, the mosquitoes didn’t encourage people to come and settle here. That is until the advent of the air conditioner, the interstate highway system and the space program. All these gave Houston the impetus to grow.
Consequently we don’t really have the layers upon layers of history and old architecture that most cities do. Take Chicago for example. Founded only 4 years earlier than Houston but it grew at a steady pace since its start. Building up layers and layers of history and memorable architecture. It now boasts great architecture and a larger population than Houston.
We have little history to spare. So you’ll pardon me when I get a little hot under the collar when some people decide not to save one of the few landmarks that this town has to offer.
Of course I’m talking about the Astrodome. The so-called 8th wonder of the world. Not the prettiest of buildings, specially now that it’s been allowed to decay, but certainly iconic of the city. The first of the domed stadiums, it was copied and recopied around the world.
I remember for a long time that Houstonians have complained that they aren’t taken seriously as a big city. We have a slight inferiority complex sometimes when compared to our more suave neighbors like LA. or Chicago, or New York. We have none of the memorable landmarks that these cities have. All we have are strip malls, parking lots, and miles and miles of cookie cutter suburbs.
The thing is that you don’t build up a reputation by bulldozing the old. You care for the old, the damaged, you celebrate it. I remember last year that opponents of the Dome pointed out how even the New York Yankees stadium had been bulldozed. The thing is though that New York still has literally dozens of other landmarks to brag about. We don’t.
So now the Dome will be bulldozed and in its place will probably be added more parking for the stadium next door. Perhaps this then is our legacy to the future. The city of parking lots, strip malls, and nondescript prefab housing. We will be the model for the future cities of the world. Bland, dull, interchangeable.
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