The structure, a roadside attraction for years, in its heyday. Its time has come to end and it was recently demolished.
Starship Pegasus comes to an end
Once a certified roadside attraction. The life of an iconic structure, now gone.
After years of being a fixture on the freeway between Dallas and Austin, the Starship Pegasus was recently demolished to make room for a McDonald’s restaurant. This Monolithic Dome structure was easily recognized from many passing by and became a certified roadside attraction on www.roadsideamerica.com.
The building served as a space-themed restaurant, charming people with its Star Trek-like theme as they passed by on the freeway. It was started by Andy Gee, who created it as a family entertainment center with his wife. Beyond the initial spaceship-looking Monolithic Dome, he had plans for more buildings on the complex, including a space camp for kids.
At the height of the business Gee had 15 high school employees. However, they were forced to close the business. “When we closed the property, we deeded it out to a friend a mine,” Gee stated. That was in 2007, but Gee didn’t sell off the property just yet. He was talking to investors and hoping to secure funding to fund his dream, so his friend held onto the property.
When funding did not come through, the property was sold to an investor last year. This investor’s plan is to sell or lease pieces of the land to different businesses for restaurants and stores. The spot where the Starship stood was sold to McDonald’s, and it was recently demolished.
The dome was built in 2005, coming to an end in 2017. Though his old building is gone, Gee has not given up on his dream. ““I would like to start phase 2 of my project elsewhere in Texas, but I’m looking for investors to fund it,” he stated. “If we had investors, we would have continued with the Starship and built the other parts. I am still looking for investors.”
Phase 2 of his project includes building an “educational facility to encourage young people to learn about science and astronomy.” He still has the architecture plans and all that is left is “finding the right support.”
What’s his motive behind this idea? “To give kids hope for the future and see that there’s something beyond where they are right now.”
A view of the whole structure during demolition. A trackhoe was used for the demolishing. (Mike South)
Parts of the Monolithic Dome are seen during demolition: polyurethane foam, steel rebar, and shotcrete. (Mike South)
The trackhoe worked on the structure, creating big holes in the structure until it eventually came down. (Mike South)
A close-up of a hole in the dome, where the steel rebar can be seen. (Mike South)
A side view of the structure during demolition. (Mike South)
Part way through the demolition of the dome. (Mike South)
The dome after it was completely torn down. (Mike South)