Astrodome Considers Holding Additional Sale

A Texas-based sports corporation says it's considering selling more original stadium seats from the Houston Astrodome.

The Harris County Sports and Convention Corp. made $1.5 million from a yard sale and two online auctions, the Houston Chronicle reported. Almost 7,000 pairs of the red, orange, blue and yellow dome seats were purchased. Other sports memorabilia, such as autographed dugout benches, lockers, turnstiles, swatches of turf and employee uniforms, were also sold.

Mark Miller, general manager of NRG Park, said about 4,000 pairs of sellable seats remain. They're currently being stored in the stadium's basement.

Kevin Hoffman, deputy executive director of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp., said the sports corporation is considering holding at least one more sale.

That means Megan Ross, 30, of Kemah may get the chance to purchase another set of seats from the world's first domed sports stadium. She said she initially thought one set would be enough when she attended the yard sale, but she wants one more because "they were only $200."

Megan said her house guests enjoy sitting in the pair of blue seats that are located in her breakfast nook.

"Everyone wants to sit in them," Ross said. "They're awesomely comfortable still."

She also picked up a piece of the old scoreboard and various-sized swatches of turf at the Astros yard sale.

"Everything that we got is hugely sentimental to me," Ross said. "I know most people who aren't from Houston might think it's junk, but I don't care."

Hoffman said most of the funds from last year's sales will be used to clean up a construction site and to maintain the dome.

The future of the 49-year-old Astrodome is still unclear, but it's being considered for protected landmark status or redevelopment. When it opened it 1965, was hailed as the Eighth Wonder of the World. The stadium has been closed since 2009, when city inspectors reported it was unfit for occupancy.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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