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More than 56 years after ground was broken on what would become the world’s first domed stadium, the Astrodome is now a bonafide recorded Texas historic landmark.

Installed on the stadium’s southwest end,a Texas State Historical Marker it will be visible for years to come just yards from neighboring NRG Stadium. The $2,000 price tag for the marker was picked up by the Houston Astros, who called the Dome home for decades before moving to Minute Maid Park across town.

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Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Dene Hofheinz - the daughter of Roy Hofheinz, the man who helped make the stadium a reality - were on hand to see the marker unveiled.

“He would be so happy and pleased, so honored,” Hofheinz said, of her father. “He loved this baby and loved it for our county.”

She said her dad would approve of the marker.

“We have officially saved the Astrodome,” she added. “It’s pretty well covered and I am very excited for the next chapter. I think dad has intervened a few times too.”

Former Houston Astros pitcher Larry Dierker was on hand, too.Dierker reminded everyone that he was one of the first Major League pitchers to pitch on the Dome’s brand-new artificial turf after it was installed.

“I was hoping this day would come,” Dierker said. “I had my doubts and fears as a Houstonian. I understood that people were against it and felt like it would be a money pit for the taxpayers but I think it will be able to support itself.”

The Dome has already been declared a state Antiquities Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The marker further solidifies its place in history and its permanence. The text mentions the part that the Dome played in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when it housed 16,000 refugees from the violent storm that hit New Orleans.

The 2017 state antiquities landmark designation provides special safeguards against demolition and requires Texas Historical Commission approval for any future changes.

The marker unveiling is another milestone in the post-sports life of the Dome, which later this year will turn into a $105 million construction zone. Those future changes were on the mind of Emmett when he spoke in front of guests next to the marker.

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“I look forward to what this building’s going to do in the future,” Emmett said. “Let’s not leave here today thinking just about the history but about how generations to come will use it and how it will be a part of their lives.”

At Tuesday’s event, two proclamations were read, including one by Houston City Council member Martha Castex-Tatum in which Mayor Sylvester Turner declared May 29, 2018 to be “Astrodome Day” in the city of Houston.

Two of the men responsible for the marker’s installation, Mike Vance with the Harris County Historical Commission and Houston Astros team historian and authentication manager Mike Acosta, were on hand to speak before the unveiling. The pair painstakingly wrote the text that adorns the marker, which arrived in Houston last week from a San Antonio foundry.

“I told my kids that they will be seeing part of their dad’s work here outside the Dome forever,” said Acosta, a lifelong Astros fan.

Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com.