The Houston Astrodome was the first indoor stadium in the world when it opened in 1965 but hasn't been home to a sports team since 1999. 
A coalition of local and national preservation groups is trying to save the once-cutting-edge structure. 
Houston-area voters voted down a 2013 referendum authorizing up to $217 million in bonds to turn the stadium into a giant convention center. 
The Astrodome was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 30. 
The view of the Houston Astrodome as seen from Reliant Stadium, which opened in 2002 and will host the Super Bowl in 2017.
- The world's first indoor stadium now sits unused
- The stadium was just listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- A piece of Modernist architecture, it served as a refuge for Katrina victims
(CNN) -- Muhammad Ali fought here. Neil Armstrong celebrated his moonwalk here. Elvis Presley sang here. And Billie Jean King faced off against Bobby Riggs here.
In its heyday, the world's first indoor stadium knew how to throw a party. And it paved the way for multi-use, publicly subsidized sports facilities getting built across the United States.
Now the Houston Astrodome has hit the big time, as far as historic buildings go. The dome has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation announced by the National Park Service last week. The listing makes it eligible for tax breaks should the building be rehabilitated but is otherwise mostly honorary.
Can a 20th-century sports stadium be a "historic place?"
The Astrodome "was bold and modern, and it marked the enormous ambition Houston had in the 1960's and 70's, when, thanks to air conditioning becoming cheap and plentiful, [Houston] believed there were no obstacles to its becoming one of the major cities of the world," wrote architecture critic Paul Goldberger, contributor to Vanity Fair, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his architecture criticism at The New York Times and author of "Why Architecture Matters," via email.
"I'm all for saving sports facilities that have genuine historic and architectural value, which the Astrodome does," wrote Goldberger. "Things this big aren't easy to re-use, of course, and there is no doubt that figuring out a viable future for the Astrodome is a huge challenge. But it definitely meets the standard of being a landmark."
Rows of dirty, tattered seats ring the Astrodome in Houston in 2012. Harris County voters rejected a proposal to remodel and save the Astrodome. The proposition was rejected by a 53%-47% vote. However it is too early to determine the Astrodome's fate, as nothing can happen until the county commission meets and votes to go ahead with the demolition. Look back at some memorable events that the famous venue once hosted. 
The Astrodome was nicknamed the "eighth wonder of the world" when it opened in 1965. It was the first of its kind: a massive air-conditioned stadium with a roof. The structure, with an inside height of 208 feet, has sat mostly empty since the Astros left in 1999 for a more modern stadium. 
Groundskeepers wear spacesuit uniforms as they prepare for the first game in the Astrodome on April 12, 1965. 
Muhammad Ali faces off against Cleveland Williams on November 14, 1966. Ali successfully defended his title as the world heavyweight champion. 
Elvin Hayes of the University of Houston Cougars goes for a jump shot against the UCLA Bruins in what became known as "The Game of the Century." The January 20, 1968, event was the first regular-season NCAA game broadcast in prime time on national television and also the first basketball game at the Astrodome. 
Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong addresses thousands jammed into the Astrodome on August 16, 1969, to celebrate the successful U.S. mission to the moon. 
Elvis Presley thrills an Astrodome crowd in a February 1970 show. 
Motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel, here in an undated photo, jumped 13 cars two nights in a row at the Astrodome in January 1971. 
The Astrodome was the home for the Houston Oilers until the team moved to Tennessee following the 1996 season, eventually becoming the Tennessee Titans. Here, the Oilers are in action against the New York Jets in October 1972. 
Tennis great Billie Jean King faces off against 55-year-old Bobby Riggs at the Astrodome on September 20, 1973, in the match dubbed the "Battle of the Sexes." King crushed Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. 
Sonny and Cher perform at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at the Astrodome in February 1974. 
Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and bass player Glenn Hughes in action at the Astrodome in August 1974. 
Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros pitches during a Major League game in 1980. Baseball's all-time strikeout leader, Ryan is now the principal owner and CEO of the Texas Rangers. 
President George H.W. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush ring in the close of Republican National Convention in August 1992. Bush would go on to lose to Bill Clinton in the general election. 
Tejano singer Selena performs during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in February 1995. She was murdered a month later by her fan club's president in Corpus Christi, Texas. 
Craig Biggio, left, and Jeff Bagwell of the Houston Astros sit in the dugout during the 1999 season. The Astros played their last game at the Astrodome on October 9, 1999, moving to the new Enron Field, now known as Minute Maid Park. 
The Astrodome houses thousands of evacuees in September 2005 following Hurricane Katrina. Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Revisiting Houston's Astrodome
Photos: Revisiting Houston's Astrodome 6 imperiled and extinct sports sites
That's why the National Trust for Historic Preservation included the stadium on its 2013 list of "most endangered" places, along with a military club for African-American officers, America's first permanent English settlement and an unused airline terminal.
"Many people perceive places built during living memory, or just before, differently than they do older places, and too often value them less," said Stephanie K. Meeks, the National Trust's president, via e-mail.
"We see more and more midcentury icons slowly fading away until demolition seems inevitable," said Meeks. "We must preserve these Modernist buildings not only because they represent America's ingenuity and space-age determination, but because they challenge -- and expand -- our sense of what is worth saving in this country."
Opened in 1965 as home to the Houston Astros and the then-Houston Oilers, the Astrodome hasn't had a sports team to call its own since 1999. Used as a refuge for people fleeing Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the stadium had a sale in November to sell off Astroturf (first installed at the Astrodome and named in its honor), stadium seating and other parts.
The storied stadium was the site of tennis great Billie Jean King's 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" with Bobby Riggs, a historic and much-hyped victory of woman over man in sports. Elvis Presley played the Astrodome in 1970, Neil Armstrong celebrated his moon mission there in 1969 and Muhammad Ali successfully defended his world heavyweight champion title against Cleveland Williams at the stadium in 1966.
Preservationists are scrambling to save the stadium, which is structurally sound and significant in the world of sports -- but also a bit of a local eyesore. Local voters rejected a $217 million November bond initiative to save the county-owned stadium and turn it into a convention center.
What do you think of efforts to preserve and reuse the Houston Astrodome? Should it be saved or torn down? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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