Six Flags AstroWorld or simply AstroWorld was a Six Flags theme park located in Houston, Texas.
The park was created by judge Roy Hofheinz as part of the Astrodomain, and originally opened on June 1, 1968. After seven years of operation under the Hofheinz family, the park was acquired by Six Flags in 1975.
After years of declining patronage and the rising value of the land as well as disputes with the city and other groups, Six Flags decided to permanently close the park in the fall of 2005. The park ceased operation after the final day of Fright Fest 2005 on October 30, 2005.
History[]
Hofheinz family era (1968–1975)[]
Planning and construction[]
It all started with one man's idea: Roy Hofheinz (the youngest judge of Houston who also served as the city's mayor) had the plan to make AstroWorld. AstroWorld's original layout was designed by production designer Randall Duell, who had also designed Six Flags Over Texas and Six Flags Over Georgia and later Six Flags St. Louis.
The park name, as well as the names of the Astrodome, the Houston Astros baseball team, and all other Astrodomain properties, were a homage to the nation's manned space programs after Houston was selected to be the home of the Johnson Space Center in 1965.
Grand opening[]
The grand opening of AstroWorld was on June 1, 1968, and approximately 50,000 guests visited the first weekend.[1]
The park had eight different themed sections: Americana Square, Oriental Village Corner, Plaza de Fiesta, Children's World, Western Junction, European Village, Alpine Valley, and Modville.
Six Flags era (1975–2005)[]
Park acquisition[]
The former entrance gate
In 1975, AstroWorld was sold to the Six Flags Corporation after the Hofheinz family decided to sell the property.
Bally ownership ends[]
In 1987, the Six Flags corporation was acquired from Bally by the Wesray Capital Corporation for $610 million.
Time Warner acquisition (1990)[]
In 1990, Time Warner began to purchase the Six Flags parks over a four-year period.
Premier Parks acquisition (1998)[]
On April 1, 1998, the entirety of Six Flags was bought from Time Warner for $1.86 billion.
Closure (2005)[]
On September 12, 2005, Six Flags CEO, Kieran Burke, announced that the company's legendary AstroWorld theme park in Houston, Texas, would be closed and demolished at the end of the 2005 season.[2] The company cited issues such as declining attendance (especially after the September 11 attacks in 2001), its outdated feel, eyesore complaints, high crime, rising property value, and conflicts involving off-site parking at Reliant Stadium (which houses the Houston Texans football team) and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR).[3][4][5] AstroWorld would have its final day on October 30, 2005, and demolition began the next day.[6][7] Six Flags inspectors had to spend $20 million to demolish the park and clear the land. The company executives had expected to receive $150 million for the land, but instead it had received $77 million.[8][9] These events prompted a decision to remove Kieran Burke from the position of CEO.[10] The former park's neighbor the Astrodome had sadly seen a similar fate in 2009, and now sits unused as a warehouse. One structure of the former amusement park still stands: the long pedestrian viaduct bridge that crosses over the Loop I-610 highway.[11]
Location[]
Areas[]
- Americana Square (1968–2005) - The hub area of the park, themed to resemble a town during the turn of the century. It featured various shops and dining locations.
- Alpine Valley (1968–2005) - An area themed after the Alps.
- European Village (1968–2005) - An area themed after a village in Europe.
- Plaza de Fiesta (1968–2005) - A Mexican-themed area.
- Oriental Village (1968–2005) - An Asian-themed area.
- Western Junction (1968–2005) - A Wild West themed area.
- Fun Island (1970–2005)
- Enchanted Kingdom (1984–2005)
- Children's World (1968–1984) Half of it removed to make way for XLR-8
- Country Fair (1972–1981) Renamed Nottingham Village
- Modville (1968–1977)
Rides and attractions[]
Roller coasters[]
- Batman: The Escape (1993–2005)
- Excalibur (1972–1998)
- Greezed Lightnin' (1978–2005)
- Mayan Mindbender (1995–2005)
- Serial Thriller (1999–2005)
- Serpent (1969–2005)
- Swamp Buggy (1970-1973)
- Texas Cyclone (1976–2005)
- Texas Tornado (1998–2000)
- Ultra Twister (1990–2005)
- Viper (1989–2005)
- XLR-8 (1984–2005)
Rides[]
Events[]
Fright Fest[]
- Main article: Six Flags AstroWorld Fright Fest
Fright Fest debuted at AstroWorld as "Fright Nights" in 1986, and the park was the very first to ever receive the event. It features many different scare zones, haunted attractions, and Halloween themed shows. Fright Fest typically ran from the first week of October through November. The final day of AstroWorld's operation was the same day as the final day of Fright Fest 2005 at the park.
Holiday in the Park[]
- Main article: Holiday in the Park
In 1988, AstroWorld was the second park to introduce Holiday in the Park after its debut at Six Flags Over Texas in 1985. It ran for ten years at the park before being cancelled after the 1997 season, making AstroWorld the first of three parks (The Great Escape and Six Flags Over Georgia being the others) to cancel their Holiday in the Park events. Holiday in the Park was later revived at Six Flags Over Georgia in 2014 and continues to return annually.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ The City: The Disneyland Effect. Time (June 14, 1968).
- ↑ "Last ride: AstroWorld to close, site to be sold", September 12, 2005.
- ↑ A look back at Houston's Six Flags AstroWorld. KTRK-TV (August 16, 2019).
- ↑ "Six Flags to close AstroWorld", UPI Archives, September 12, 2005.
- ↑ Houston's AstroWorld theme park to close. American City Business Journals (September 12, 2005).
- ↑ "AstroWorld's 50th Anniversary: A "Magical Time" for the Park's Employees", Houston Press, May 29, 2018.
- ↑ "For AstroWorld, the ride is over", Houston Chronicle, September 13, 2005.
- ↑ Dawson, Jennifer (May 11, 2006). Local developer to acquire former Astroworld site.
- ↑ sarnoff, Nancy. "Conroe-based firm to buy AstroWorld site", May 11, 2006.
- ↑ Mecoy, Don. "Six Flags discoloses price tag for amusement park leases", May 24, 2018.
- ↑ Hlavaty, Craig. "Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo says AstroWorld land could eventually be redeveloped", Houston Chronicle, August 13, 2018.
External links[]
- Six Flags AstroWorld at Six Flags (archived 2005-10-29, 2000-08-15, 1997-05-21)
- Six Flags AstroWorld at the AstroWorld Wiki
Six Flags AstroWorld at Coasterpedia- Six Flags AstroWorld at Logopedia
- Six Flags AstroWorld at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Six Flags AstroWorld at the Roller Coaster Wiki
- Six Flags AstroWorld at Wikipedia
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