More than two decades have passed since The Summit held its last event before becoming Lakewood Church. Okay, the building was named Compaq Center by that time, but longtime Houstonians still think of the building as The Summit.
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Formerly known as Compaq Center...The Summit...and now Lakewood Church
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Formerly known as Compaq Center...The Summit...and now Lakewood Church
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I went to The Summit as a toddler in the late 70s to an Aeros hockey game. I do not remember much of it, well almost nothing of it, but my dad tells me we went and had a great time. I did not see many concerts at The Summit which is kind of a shame being that I’m a native Houstonian, but I was just too young in the 70s and 80s.
I do recall seeing Robert Plant and Jimmy Page at The Summit when I was 20, which was an experience beyond epic. I missed the Led Zeppelin era in person, but the Plant-Page show was truly amazing for someone who loves classic rock. In my high school years, I saw the Houston Rockets take on Michael Jordan and the rest of the Chicago Bulls there, and Houston won. One of the coolest memories I have was at the end of each Rockets victory. Broadcaster Gene Peterson would conduct his postgame radio interview from the basketball court and the audio was piped in over the arena’s PA system while some kind of smooth jazz song played. It felt so regal.
Perhaps The Summit didn’t have a worldwide identity like the revolutionary Astrodome, otherwise known as the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” but it was uniquely Houston and a pleasant place to watch anything that took place inside it. The seating was close to the floor. The building had a cool vibe to it with a glass curtain wall that edged the perimeter. Of course, it was terrible when the entire crowd was leaving and we were packed like sardines, but it was still a fun place to be. The few suites that The Summit did have were located up at the top of the building, meaning the general seating in the upper level still felt close to the action.
Opened in early November, 1975, The Summit was a groundbreaking multipurpose arena that cost $27 million as part of the ambitious Greenway Plaza development. Designed to be larger and more modern than the Sam Houston Coliseum and Hofheinz Pavilion, it offered a more intimate experience compared to the vast 60,000-seat Astrodome.
The original address was 10 Greenway Plaza, aligning with the numerical system used for the development, but was later changed to 3700 Southwest Freeway. Greenway Plaza was envisioned in the late 1960s by Houston developer Kenneth Schnitzer of the Century Development Corporation, as one of America’s first mixed-use developments, bordered by Upper Kirby, West University Place, and River Oaks. Perhaps the location added to the regal feeling I always felt while inside the building.
The first event at The Summit was the “Heart to Heart” show, which benefitted the Baylor College of Medicine, The Methodist Hospital, and the Texas Heart Institute, featuring headliner Andy Williams. Just weeks later, on November 20, 1975, The Summit hosted its first official concert, featuring The Who, marking the beginning of an illustrious musical legacy.
For over 20 years, The Summit served as the epicenter for countless major concerts in Houston, hosting an impressive lineup of artists. Notable performers included Paul McCartney, the Eagles, Parliament-Funkadelic, ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, KISS, Queen, Genesis, Bruce Springsteen, the Bee Gees, Billy Joel, Kansas, Little River Band, Journey, Van Halen, Cyndi Lauper, Prince & The Revolution, Michael Jackson, Run-DMC, N.W.A., Metallica, Janet Jackson, Madonna, George Michael, The Rolling Stones, Barry Manilow, Frank Sinatra, Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, the Beastie Boys, MC Hammer, Whitney Houston, AC/DC, Kid Rock, and Shakira. The list goes on, and I know someone reading this is yelling in their head, “Wait! How could you forget ____?” I get it. Many fans have their own special memories of concerts at The Summit and that’s what adds to the cool factor.
The venue also hosted a diverse array of events, including circuses, family shows, and more. Among these were the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Harlem Globetrotters, Sesame Street Live, and Disney on Ice. Wrestling was another major event that drew crowds, with legendary commentator Paul Bosch hosting matches that aired Channel 39. The first professional wrestling event at The Summit took place on May 29, 1977, followed by numerous thrilling matches that captivated Houston audiences. I vividly remember watching Bosch interview various wrestling stars of the day on TV. As a kid I felt Paul Bosch added an aura of being THE guy who knew everything about Houston wrestling and that this was truly something important to watch.
The Summit is perhaps best remembered as the former home of the Houston Rockets, who clinched two world championships there in 1994 and 1995. The NBA Finals were also hosted at The Summit in 1981 and 1986. The arena helped usher in a new brand of sports venues with its modern amenities, significantly contributing to the NBA's growth and stature across the United States. The Rockets were initially brought to the city by Texas Sports Investments from San Diego in 1971. They refused to play at the Sam Houston Coliseum, opting instead for games at Hofheinz Pavilion, the Astrodome, and even other locations around Texas until The Summit was completed.
In addition to the Rockets, The Summit also welcomed the Houston Comets who became the WNBA’s first dynasty, winning the championship four consecutive years from 1997-2000. The Houston Hotshots indoor soccer team played on Astroturf in The Summit during the 1990s, and the Houston Aeros hockey team, who played there during two stints—from 1975-1978 in the World Hockey Association and from 1994-2003 in the International Hockey League. The Houston Terror of the Arena Football League also called The Summit home from 1996-2001, later rebranded as the Thunderbears.
The last concert at The Summit was performed by ZZ Top on November 22, 2003, coinciding with the Rockets' move to the Toyota Center in Downtown Houston. As mentioned earlier, by this time the arena was now known as Compaq Center named for the Houston-based computer company. In fact, The Summit was the first sports and entertainment venue in Houston to have naming rights sold. Following the departure of the Rockets, The Summit underwent a significant $95 million renovation, reopening on July 16, 2005, as the home of Lakewood Church, which is rather ironic considering all the other events that took place there. It was as if the building was almost reborn following years of rock concerts and the “associated environments” that follow them. Initially leased by the City of Houston, Lakewood Church purchased the building in 2010 for $7.5 million, ensuring that the building would continue to serve the community in a new capacity. Led by Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church paid off a $100 million loan for his megachurch in early 2024.
Today, as Lakewood Church, the building formerly known as The Summit retains its status as a vital part of Houston's cultural identity, celebrating a rich history that brings together the echoes of concerts, the thrill of sports, and a spirit of community that endures to this day. It’s refreshing to consider a sports arena in Houston was adapted for successful reuse. Perhaps the stewards of the current Astrodome situation could learn something from The Summit’s evolution.
