x
Breaking News
More () »

Judge Hofheinz's daughter's fight to save Astrodome is won

Tuesday night, for the first time in more than a decade, Dene Hofheinz can sleep easy knowing the beloved Dome her father Judge Roy Hofheinz built won't be torn down and forgotten.

To Dene Hofheinz, the Astrodome is more than the Eighth Wonder of the World.

"So much history there," Hofheinz said. "It was our thing, you know."

It's a young girl's connection to her father and the legacy he left behind.

"He would have just been tickled pink," Hofheinz said.

Tuesday night, for the first time in more than a decade, Hofheinz can sleep easy knowing the beloved Dome her father Judge Roy Hofheinz built won't be torn down and forgotten.

Related: $105 million Astrodome makeover approved by county commissioners

"I really believed the big guy upstairs was with us," Hofheinz said. "I didn't think there wasn't going to be a way to save the most historic, most exciting thing that's happened to Houston."

Hofheinz has made it her life's mission to save the Dome. On Tuesday morning, Harris County Commissioners Court approved an $105 million project to renovate it and turn it into an event center.

"It's going to be a beauty when it's done," Hofheinz said.

Since Opening Day 1965, Hofheinz's been inside the Dome too many times to count. The last time came nearly three years ago during the Dome's 50th birthday bash.

"I just looked around and just saw ghosts," Hofheinz said. "I could smell my dad's cigar smoke. It was awesome, really."

Every experience has been magical, but when she steps inside the revamped Astrodome in February 2020, that will be something truly spectacular.

"It'll be heaven," Hofheinz said. "I'll be able to die happy."

Before You Leave, Check This Out