Sydney Opera House must be one of the most recognizable images of the modem world—up there with the Eiffel Tower and the Empire

Sydney Opera House must be one of the most recognizable images of the modem world—up there with the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building—and one of the most photographed. Not only is it recognizable, it has come to represent "Australia". Although only having been open since 1973, it is as representative of Australia as the pyramids are of Egypt and the Colosseum of Rome. The Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point, which reaches out into the harbour. The skyline of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the blue water of the harbour and the Sydney Opera House, viewed from a ferry or from the air, is dramatic and unforgettable. Ironic, perhaps, that this Australian icon was designed by renowned Danish  architect—Jorn Utzon. In the late 1950s the NSW Government established an appeal fund to finance the construction of the Sydney Opera House, and conducted a competition for its design. Utzon’s design was chosen. The irony was that his design was, arguably, beyond the capabilities of engineering of the time. Utzon spent a couple of years reworking the design. It was 1961 before he had solved the problem of how to build the distinguishing feature—the "sails" of the roof. The venture experienced cost blow-outs and there were occasions when the NSW Government was tempted to call a halt. There were arguments about cost and the interior design, and the Government was withholding progress payments. In 1966 the situation reached crisis point and Jorn Utzon resigned from the project. The building was eventually completed by others in 1973.