In October 1959, premier Joseph Cahill dies from gastric ulcer complications and is succeeded by Robert James Heffron. It took more than three years just to complete the design for the glazed ceramic tiles that make up each of the house's shells.įollowing this, it took eight years to build the shell structure - one of the most difficult engineering tasks ever to be attempted. The men who built the Opera House reflect on 40 years (Antonette Collins)Ĭonstruction of the Opera House becomes as controversial as the design itself, with the building work taking more than a decade. The fourth judge, American architect Eero Saarinen, arrives in Sydney late and finds his colleagues have already narrowed their choices. Organising judge Harry Ingham Ashworth, government architect Cobden Parkes and the head of architecture at Cambridge University, Sir Leslie Martin, begin the judging process. The competition closes in December 1956 after 233 entries have been submitted from 28 countries. The guidelines also request a restaurant and two public meeting rooms. The main requirement of the competition is a design for two performance halls - one for opera and the other for symphony concerts. In December 1955, Mr Cahill announces an international design competition for an opera house, with Sydney's Bennelong Point approved as the site for the project. Take a look at the controversy and celebrations that have made the building part of the nation's psyche: 1954 'We need an opera house'Įugene Goossens, conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the director of the NSW Conservatorium for Music, is introduced to then NSW premier Joseph Cahill and the two men agree that Australia needs an opera house. The Sydney Opera House - a masterpiece of modern architecture and an icon of Australia - is celebrating its 40th birthday.
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