The Eighth Wonder of the World

"The first domed stadium, a multipurpose venue for baseball, football, livestock shows, rodeos, trade shows, and more, gives us a window on the evolution of sports as entertainment and big business in the 20th Century."G. Louis Heath, ARETE "The Eighth Wonder of the World is a solid work of sports, business, and political history."Si Dunn, Lone Star Literary Life "A book worth reading. . . . It not only tells the story of the construction of the Harris County Domed Stadium . . . it does so with enough suspense to keep readers engaged from beginning to end."Frank G. Houdek, NINE The Astrodome was an architectural marvel when it opened more than a half century ago. This book documents the many wondrous people and events that starred inside this magical building. I know. I was there to see much of it happen!Jim Nantz, lead play-by-play announcer, CBS Sports Trumpbour and Womack have produced a magnificent examination of one of our greatest undertakings, the Houston Astrodome. This book is a great tribute to the human energy and triumph that reached across the United States and the world.Mike Acosta, Houston Astros in-house historian If you want to learn why the Astrodome is an important part of Houstons history, read this book. No self-respecting Domer should live without it.Craig Hlavaty, reporter for the Houston Chronicle

Robert C. Trumpbour, an associate professor of communications at Pennsylvania State University, Altoona, is the author of The New Cathedrals: Politics and Media in the History of Stadium Construction. Kenneth Womack, dean of the Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences and a professor of English at Monmouth University, is the author of several books, including Long and Winding Roads: The Evolving Artistry of the Beatles. Mickey Herskowitz was a sportswriter and columnist for the Houston Post and the Houston Chronicle. He is the author of more than thirty books.

Foreword: The Dome Was So Nice They Opened It Twice Mickey Herskowitz Prologue: A Noble Idea for the Oil Patch I. Cow Town 1. Roy Hofheinz: Houstons Grand Huckster 2. Of Cows and Construction: Houstons Livestock Show and Rodeo 3. Going Pro: George Kirksey, Craig Cullinan, and the Major League Dream II. Dome Town 4. Zimmerman and the Grand Plan: Engineering a Marvel 5. The Grass Isnt Always Greener: AstroTurf and the Sports Purist Backlash III. Space City 6. Fractious Dome Futures 7. The Dome and Its Legacy Epilogue: Wonders Never Cease Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index