Sydney Opera House

Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, but completed by an Australian architectural team headed up by Peter Hall, the building was formally opened on 20 October 1973 after a gestation beginning with Utzon's 1957 selection as winner of an international design competition. The Government of New South Wales, led by the premier, Joseph Cahill, authorised work to begin in 1958 with Utzon directing construction. The government's decision to build Utzon's design is often overshadowed by circumstances that followed, including cost and scheduling overruns as well as the architect's ultimate resignation. The building and its surrounds occupy the whole of Bennelong Point on Sydney Harbour, between Sydney Cove and Farm Cove, adjacent to the Sydney central business district and the Royal Botanic Gardens, and close by the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The building comprises multiple performance venues, which together host well over 1,500 performances annually, attended by more than 1.2 million people. 

Address: Bennelong Point, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Construction started: March 2, 1959
Architecture firm: Arup Group
Architect: Jørn Utzon
Architectural styles: Modern architecture, Expressionist architecture