“The Astrodome: Building an American Spectacle”
A Lecture by Architect, James Gast
Hosted by Houston Public Library’s Friends of the Texas Room
Houston Public Library’s Friends of the Texas Room to feature architect and author, James Gast, he will be discussing his book, “The Astrodome: Building an American Spectacle.” Gast will be talking about the people, technology, and the politics that built the world’s first domed stadium. The program will begin with a meet and greet reception at 6 PM, followed by the author’s book discussion at 7 PM on Monday, January 25, 2016 in the Julia Ideson Building, 550 McKinney, 77003, 832-393-1662. Copies of Gast’s book will be for purchase and he will be available for book signing.
Parking for the event is available underneath the adjacent Jones Building accessed from Lamar Avenue, or on the street. Vouchers for parking in the library’s garage will be available at the meeting. This program is free and open to the public. For more details email contact@friendsofthetexasroom.org.
About the Author James Gast:
James Gast is a registered architect specializing in large-scale public infrastructure projects. A former Houston resident, he has more than 30 years of major project experience in Texas and throughout North America. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University.
About the Book:
“The Astrodome: Building an American Spectacle” is the story of the creation and early days of the first domed stadium, highlighting the people who participated and the unprecedented solutions they developed for problems that had not previously existed. It places the building in its historic context among worldwide architectural and engineering accomplishments, as well as its cultural setting in mid-century America. It is the result of more than a year’s research using both primary-source archival material and interviews with the participants.
About the Houston Public Library’s Friends of the Texas Room
The Friends of the Texas Room is a nonprofit organization which supports the Texas and Local History Collections and Special Collections at the Houston Public Library’s Houston Metropolitan Research Center. For more information on the Friends of the Texas Room visit: www.friendsofthetexasroom.org.
About the Houston Public Library
The Houston Public Library (HPL) operates 35 neighborhood libraries, four HPL Express Libraries, a Central Library, the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, The African American Library at the Gregory School, and the Parent Resource Library located in the Children’s Museum of Houston. With more than eight million visits per year in person and online, HPL is committed to excellent customer service and equitable access to information and programs by providing library customers with free use of a diverse collection of printed materials and electronic resources, Internet, laptop and computer use, and a variety of database and reference resources with live assistance online 24/7.
For further information visit the Houston Public Library at www.houstonlibrary.org on Twitter @houstonlibrary or call 832-393-1313.