Astrodome (Houston Astros) [PLASTIC]

Blanks are shredded bits of the plastic stadium seats mixed with complementary team-colored resin.

Available Sizes:

• Pen Blanks: Minimum 3/4" x 3/4" square
• Bottle Stopper and Ring Blanks: 1-1/2" round
• Full Pen Blocks: 6" x 5" and a minimum of 7/8" thick
• Knife Scale Pair: 2@ 5" x 1-1/2" x 3/8" minimum

All blanks include one Certificate of Authenticity (COA) per blank—a 4" x 6" card stock with foil-embossed seal, protected in a hard-shell plastic sleeve. Full Pen Blocks come with 10 COAs.

Most blanks are cut to order for freshness. Pen Blocks require a 2-3 week turnaround.

Astrodome: Astros' Celestial Citadel of Diamond Domination

The Astrodome, hailed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World," revolutionized sports architecture in Houston's sun-scorched suburbs, birthing the era of domed stadiums. Conceived by visionary judge Roy Hofheinz in 1952 after endless rainouts at Buffalo Stadium, the $35.2 million marvel—funded by a 1958 bond election—broke ground in 1962 and soared open on April 9, 1965, with an exhibition clash where the Houston Astros edged the New York Yankees 2-1 before 47,876 awestruck fans under its pioneering 18-story, 642-foot translucent dome, instantly catapulting Houston onto the global stage as a forward-thinking frontier town.

Enveloping 54,816 baseball faithful in climate-controlled 72-degree bliss on synthetic AstroTurf (invented here when skylights fried the grass, prompting a 1966 panel-painting frenzy and turf triumph), the multi-purpose behemoth spanned a hitter's paradise: 340 feet to left and right, 375 to alleys, 406 to center—fostering fly-ball fireworks amid its 9-acre, 208-foot-high saucer. Expansions swelled it to 62,439 by 1980 with upper decks and suites, while a $100 million 1988-89 glow-up birthed the world's largest AstroTurf (later FieldTurf in 2000s), luxury lofts, and club enclaves—though dual-sport scars from Oilers football (1968-1996) lingered till its 1999 baseball farewell, blending space-age spectacle with practical punch.

Launchpad for the Houston Astros across 35 stellar seasons, the Dome cradled Nolan Ryan's record six no-hitters (four here), the 1968 and 1986 All-Star spectacles, and a 1980 NLCS heartbreaker—though playoffs peaked with 2005's pennant pulse before Minute Maid's call. Record roars hit 56,086 for Reggie Jackson's '77 moonshot, fueling 1,259 wins amid AstroTurf skids and Astroworld tie-ins. Beyond bats, it hosted Super Bowls VIII and XXXVIII prep, Livestock Shows, and Evel Knievel leaps, etching Houston's innovative heartbeat into lore. Though eclipsed in 2000, the Astrodome endures as a pioneering pinnacle—forging fake-grass futures, fan-fueled fantasies, and eternal echoes of Astro audacity in MLB's marquee.