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City on the international map.People from all over the worldtraveled just to get a glimpseof this new air-conditionedparadise tall enough tocontain the nearby eighteenstoryShamrock Hilton Hotel.When the Astrodome openedits doors for the first time onApril 9, 1965, it representedmore than baseball’s firstdomed stadium--it changedthe way fans viewed the gameand created a new traditionthat was uniquely Houston’s. 10Casey Stengel, the longrespectedmanager of theNew York Yankees and Mets,once quipped, “This is thetype of stadium that fromthe outside you can’t tell where first base is.” The Astrodome’sexterior design sported a gleaming white dome crowning apattern of concrete screens and long, diamond shaped columns.The perfectly circular structure gave no sense of what could beseen on the inside. The playing field sat twenty-five feet belowstreet level to limit the vertical travel required by fans. Fourmain entrances sloped up to the doors simply labeled North,South, East or West. Colorful flags waved gracefully inthe Gulf breeze. More than 10,000 multi-coloreddirectional signs strategically placed around thestadium, and color-coordinated with the tickets,directed fans to the proper seating level. Glassdoors lined the entrances to the various levelsand were intentionally installed to open outto the customer so one could feel the rushof 6,600 tons of air-conditioning insidethe arena. The transition from the Texasheat to the cool interior created a truesense of comfort. 11A fan on the Field Box or upper GoldLevels could walk around the concourses andpeek into the main arena through the passageways lining those levels. Candy-striped concessionstands were sprinkled along the concoursesand pre-game music played through the soundsystems. A friendly “Spacette,” in a gold and bluedress with a small hat and boots, showed the ticketholders to their seats. In that day and age, whetherseated in General Admission on the lower level orthe Skyboxes, the first sight of the Astrodome’sinterior would never be forgotten. Lipstick red,burnt orange, coral, black, purple, gold, bronzeand royal blue splashed across the stadium’s seatinglevels like a rainbow from the ground levelto the top. The outfield Pavilion seats were terracotta. Here, tradition met comfort with all of the Astrodome’s45,000 theater-style seats completely padded and upholstered. Onthe baseball field, “Earthmen” manicured the playing surface inorange astronaut outfits and matching space helmets. 12Sure, the Astrodome sounded outlandish to many folks24 Vol. 6, No. 3–SportsHofheinz selected the “Astros”as the team’s new name, honoringNASA and in keeping with thefuturistic image of its new ballpark.The team’s insignia was the first tofeature its stadium in the design.Roy Hofheinz maintained a private office in the Dome’s upper reaches.outside Texas and made some baseball purists cringe at the verythought of this edifice.Cushioned seats? Check.Air-conditioning? Check.The amenities did not stop there. At Field Levelbehind the outfield wall, sat the Domeskeller, a German-stylebeer garden with structural columnssurrounded by faux trees and walls decoratedin wood paneling with Bavarian-style crests.Drinks could be ordered in Astrodome steinsand fans could enjoy meals with a glimpseof the field through mesh wire windows.On the third level, behind home plate,the Countdown Cafeteria featureda historical progression of athletesfrom Rome’s gladiators to the modern day.“Blast-off” girls served the patrons, and chinawas labeled with the numbers one to ten andthen the word “Blast-Off.” Three floors up onthe Loge Level, the Trailblazer Restaurant,celebrated man’s greatest accomplishments.Access-controlled areas served those fans whowanted a more exclusive experience. On the fifthfloor, between home plate and the left field foulpole, sat the extravagant Astrodome Club. Hereseason ticket holders enjoyed a 100-foot bar,a 90-foot perimeter bar, a private men’s-onlybar (in a true sign of the times), and diningEmployee uniforms were designed with rooms serving a full five course meal. 13the space theme in mind.The list of “firsts” from the Astrodomeincludes the fifty-three luxury Skyboxes locatedalong the upper rim of the stadium. Hofheinz successfullyrelied on corporate expense accounts to sell the Skyboxes. Eachsuite came with a different design motif named after Hofheinz’sworld travels. No two were alike, making it even more attractiveto corporations. All of the twenty-four-seat Skyboxes sold