Sydney Opera House Intersting Facts

by Anjali Jha Digital Marketer

Sydney Opera House Interesting Facts

"An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. It starts in my imagination, it becomes my life, and it stays part of my life long after I've left the opera house." – Maria Callas

The Sydney Opera House in Australia is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site that has been listed as one of the most amazing architectural work and great cultural property in the whole world. It is popular for bringing together multiple strands of innovation and creativity both in the field of architecture and structural design.

Among the great vacation spots like the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru, it is one of the most recognized Australian landmarks. The Sydney Opera House is seated on the Bennelong Point. This Point was named after Governor Macquarie and was first developed as a fort. Later in that day, it was used as a tram shed. With a location next to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and on the most amazing harbor in the world, it is apparently not that difficult to understand why Australia and Sydney are considered as the hot spots and the most amazing travel destinations.

Here are some interesting facts you probably didn't know about the Sydney Opera House, Sydney's Most Iconic Building.

Sydney Opera House architect Jørn Utzon was awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize in May 2003. This is considered the Nobel Prize for the architectural community. The whole Utzon family have been architects for over four generations.

Australian Peter Hall was hired as the design architect for the Sydney Opera House in the year 1966. He, unfortunately, had to change many of Utzon's conceptual plans to make it an environment of entertainment and practical work. People have forgotten how much Peter Hall has done to perfect the Sydney Opera House. He, unfortunately, passed away in 1995 in poverty and was forgotten in some time after that. This is worth a read as the man behind fixing the ‘plain illegal' Sydney Opera House never received due credit for his work.

It is important to note that Jørn Utzon was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. In the year 1956, an international competition to design the Sydney Opera House was announced. As expected, Utzon entered this competition. This competition was promptly relegated to the bin. When a renowned American architect, Eero Saarinen, was looking through the rejects, he found Utzon's entry, and it was serendipity. Despite never having seen the Sydney site in person, Utzon had subsequently won the contract. He, therefore, stated – "To me, it is a great joy to know how much the building is loved, by Australians in general and by Sydneysiders in particular.

With his schedules, designs and cost estimates being questioned, Utzon was getting bashed by the political controversies of the day. Sources have reported that when the Askin government gained power around 1965, the public works minister, Davis Hughes, hid money from Utzon in order to complete the Sydney Opera House. It is verified that Utzon was stymied and he subsequently resigned in the year 1966.

The construction of the Sydney Opera House has always been a fascinating topic of discussion amongst the general public, architects, and artists. It is said that Utzon was influenced by his Morocco travel expeditions and his Mayan's study. Many believed that these travels led to his inspiration for the design. The Opera House is given it's a unique look by the sail-like structures. In the year 1963, the base was altered so it could hold the weight of this huge concrete structure it was supporting.

There was an original estimation that stated that the building Sydney Opera House would take four years to finish. The work on it commenced in 1959 with 10,000 construction workers. It's official opening, however, was in the year 1973, right after 14 years.

Do you know the original estimate to build the Sydney Opera House? It was $7 million! The final cost to build this grand architecture summed to about $102 million. A State Lottery mostly paid for the construction and decoration of the Sydney Opera House.

Grand Organ, the Concert Hall, took a decade to be built. It is considered the largest mechanical organ in the globe, having about 10,154 pipes. There are 2,679 seats present in the largest venue of the Concert Hall.

Officially, the Sydney Opera House was opened on 20th October 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II herself. This is the place where the Beethoven's 9th Symphony which featured the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was performed. This song was played again when the Sydney Opera House turned 40. The son of Jorn Utzon, named Jan Utzon, attended the celebrations along with Denmark's Australian-born Princess Mary on this special occasion.

So come and explore this stupendous and iconic landmark and be mesmerized by its serendipitous and enigmatic existence!