Six Flags to close Houston's AstroWorld

[speck76]

Reuters
Six Flags to close Houston's AstroWorld
Monday September 12, 6:01 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Aiming to take advantage of rising real estate values in Houston, Six Flags Inc. (NYSEKS - News). said on Monday it would close its AstroWorld theme park in the city at the end of the 2005 season and had engaged Cushman & Wakefield to market the 109-acre site.

Six Flags said in a statement the sale would be subject to the approval of its bank lenders and proceeds would be used for debt reduction and general corporate purposes.

Six Flags said 119 permanent jobs would be lost as a result of the closure and a number of AstroWorld employees likely would be offered jobs at other company theme parks.

 

[The_CEO]

The park is scrap metal anyway... Whoopie.

 

[mkt]

I went there once when I lived in Houston.... not worth what I paid to get in. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

 

[Cliffordsmon]

I went on opening day back in the 60's with my family. I am sad only for the memories created there. My Dad wanted to go opening day to see the Carnation Ice Tables that were air conditioned. The Astro-Wheel, The Alpine Sleigh Ride, The Wacky Shack, The Crystal Palace and Le Taxi were my favorites.
My first trip sans parents and with friends after graduation was an overnighter to Astro-World.
My sister worked at there for at least a decade and so did my husband while waiting to start his residency.
I took my daughter at Christmas one year along with my sisters and their children. It was a rare night in Houston when you actually had to wear a coat, hat and gloves.

Aaaahhh, good times.

I haven't been back since we went for Christmas in '88 but it is still sad to see it's passing.

 

[MyNameisStitch]

I used to really love Astroworld but it has gotten horrible. I'm actually excited to see that Six Flags is selling it. I hope someone comes in and cleans that place up.

Check out one of my recent posts to see why I don't like it much...

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=1190571&postcount=35

-DGJake

 

[bsandersjr]

Nothing to do with the evacuees, huh? :lol:

 

[that_L_do_pig]

35 year old native Houstonian - I was raised there! I rode my first steel and wooden coaster there! My first invert! My love of theme parks was created there!

I agree this is a total emotional response - BUT STILL!

I am in shock - un freaking believable.

**edit** this quote from the Houston Chronicle helps put my thoughts into words:

Shutting down the park will not hurt the city's economy much because many of the seasonal jobs paid little more than minimum wage, he said.
The bigger loss, he said, is that theme parks offer people a sense of nostalgia, with grandparents taking their grandchildren to their favorite rides.

"You lose something that has been part of the city's culture and psyche for a number of years," Zoltak said.

 

[Atta83]

YAY it was a peice of crap anyway, i hated Astroworld and crossing the freeway to get there in and out of that freakin park when a baseball game or football game going on no freaking way....

 

[imagineer boy]

Oh heck, all Six Flags are crap. Let's close them all down anyway. :lol: The six flags near St Lous actually used to be pretty decent with a nice homage to the 1908 St. Louis World's fair, but now there's hardly anything left of that theming now that they've concentrated way too much on marketing and trying to make the biggest thrill rides ever. They changed the spain area to DC comics theme, added a Warner Brothers backlot area, now its just a bizaar mish mash of rides and themeing ( which is horrendous in the first place. ) Not to mention all of the crappy games they have all over the place playing loud music!!!!! aaahhhh!!!

 

[monorailmike]

I visited there in 2003. I was not impressed. I thought it was wreck compaired to Ceader Point, let alone any Disney comparison. It is probably better that it gets closed.