Houston’s civic and municipal brass is going to decide soon the fate of the Houston Astrodome.

The Dome came into being in 1965 billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World. It was the first sports structure of its kind in the world. It had a roof, meaning that you could use all year round. When it opened it was a marvelous thing to behold.

It is likely to be demolished, maybe soon. I hope it stays up. I hope the city finds some use for it, if only to turn it into a gigantic museum.

I’ve heard all the arguments for tearing it down: It costs too much to maintain; there’s not enough practical use for it to make it cost-effective; the city can use the space for other money-making endeavors; Reliant Stadium is next door and it serves quite nicely as the Houston Texans’ professional football home.

Blah, blah, blah …

I get all that.

I’m a sentimentalist at heart. The Astrodome ought to stand as a reminder that we can build great things and keep them standing, much like they do in, oh, Europe and Asia.

We Americans, though, live in a throwaway society. Something inside me simply wants the Dome to stand as a reminder that we aren’t always so dedicated to the belief that we can just throw something away when it no longer serves our purpose.

I don’t have a lot of Astrodome memories, even though my family and I lived for nearly 11 years just east of Houston, in Beaumont. This plea isn’t about me. It’s about historical preservation.

I know I’m engaging in wishful thinking. I just had to get this off my chest.