Astrodome once featured Houston's gaudiest apartment

Judge Roy Hofheinz in his opulent office at the Houston Astrodome. (Photo by Mark Kauffman/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images) Judge Roy Hofheinz in his opulent office at the Houston Astrodome. (Photo by Mark Kauffman/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images) Photo: Mark Kauffman, Photo By Mark Kauffman/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images Photo: Mark Kauffman, Photo By Mark Kauffman/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images Image 1 of / 44 Caption Close Astrodome once featured Houston's gaudiest apartment 1 / 44 Back to Gallery

Now filled with nothing but cobwebs, the Houston Astrodome was once considered a palace for football and baseball fans. Less well known was the palace that the Dome's visionary Roy Hofheinz built for himself inside the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Time Life photos show the apartment's whimsical style, highlighted by red carpet that covered the floor and walls of a conference room, which also featured zebra-print chairs and chalices in front of each seat. Psychedelic wallpaper covered the salon, while Asian dragon statues flanked the massive desk in Hofheinz' office.

You can read more about the larger-than-life politician and the enduring legacy he left behind in Houston in Brian Rogers' profile celebrating the Houston Chronicle's 115 years serving Houston.

The apartment also featured a putting green, a shooting gallery, a puppet theater and a bowling alley, while a private terrace overlooked the playing field.

The décor in the apartment was gaudy enough to make Elvis blush. Its flamboyant style was described as "early King Farouk" by Bob Hope, according to the LA Times, and "early whorehouse," according to Sports Illustrated. However, the quarters reflected their designer.

According to a 2012 story from MLB.com's Dinn Mann, Hoffheinz "had an appetite for the ornate, would stretch to impress for Texas-sized bragging rights, all part of the show."

"Here was a man who went against the grain, who tried to do the best rather than the obvious. He wanted Houston to have Sinatra, Elvis, the Circus, never-before-seen luxury suites, cushioned stadium seats, Evel Knievel, Muhammad Ali fights, Houston vs. UCLA, a scoreboard spectacular like no other."

Take a look at photos of the apartment above.