The NRG Astrodome, formerly known as just the Houston Astrodome, is called the "Eighth Wonder of the World" by many as it is the first domed structure of its size created without a pillar supporting it in the center. The Astrodome opened for business on April 9, 1965, and was the home of the
Houston Astros and
Houston Oilers for over 30 years before both teams moved out, the former to
Daikin Park and the latter to
Nashville, Tennessee, where they eventually became the
Tennessee Titans. The Astrodome has been the home of many other special events, including the
Republican National Convention, the
NBA All-Star Game, and
World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
WrestleMania X-Seven. The venue has hosted historic recording artists such as Elvis Presley. Until 2002, NRG Astrodome was also the host of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the largest of its kind in the world. The last concert in NRG Astrodome was the largest attended event ever in the building, featuring George Strait in March 2002, at the Livestock Show and Rodeo where he sang to 68,266 people. The Astrodome and NRG Park in general gained nationwide attention in September 2005 when it was opened as a massive shelter for refugees fleeing
Hurricane Katrina. Each building except for NRG Stadium, which was configured for the
Houston Texans, hosted several thousand refugees, and local media dubbed the complex "Reliant City". This "city" was itself evacuated when
Hurricane Rita threatened
Texas later that month, but many returned after the scare and moved out shortly before the end of the year. The Astrodome has been closed to the general public since 2008 because of fire code violations, and was to undergo renovations in October 2018 to become a multi-purpose event center. The floor of the stadium would have been raised and would have created over 1,000+ parking spaces, while the top floor would be used for events. The project was supposed to start in October 2018 and be completed sometime in 2020. Harris County was to spend $105 million in order to complete this massive overhaul. The renovations were rescheduled to 2019, and then put on hold, and then all together scrapped. ==MDAnderson Cancer Center Speedway at NRG Park==