4 things you didn’t know about the Sydney Opera House

Sydney is a beautiful harbour city filled with a myriad of historic buildings and picturesque views. Perhaps the most impressive is the Sydney Opera House, one of the city's most illustrious tourist attractions.

Finding the perfect view of the historic building can be difficult, but if you have a room at The Macleay Hotel, you'll be able to gaze at it day and night. Many of our affordable fully-equipped rooms face the harbour and offer splendid views of the Opera House. Before you visit, check out these little-known facts about the most famous building in Sydney!

The Sydney Opera House is an architectural and engineering feat.

1. The architect was Danish

Although the Opera House has become the worldwide symbol for Australia, the architect who designed the building was actually from the opposite side of the globe. In 1952, Australia announced a competition to see who could design the building – Prtizker prize winner Jørn Utzon, a Danish architect, won with his design that was meant to mimic the white sails of ships floating into the harbour.

Utzon ultimately resigned from the project after butting heads with Australian officials over the surpassed budget. The new architects hired to replace him ended up costing the government even more money.

2. Locals were not thrilled at first

At first, Sydney residents were not happy with the building plans and expenditures for the Opera House. Among the reasons for the dissatisfaction was the budget; originally thought to cost around $7 million, the final product cost around $102 million, most of which had to come from state lotteries and other government funds. The Sydney Opera House also took much longer than anticipated to finish – 14 years rather than the envisioned four! The image below shows the building under construction in 1966.

3. It is home to the world's largest mechanical organ

Boasting a total of 10,154 pipes of various sizes, the Concert Hall Grand Organ is supposedly the largest mechanical organ on the planet. Like the Opera House itself, this enormous instrument took a very long time to complete – a whole 10 years.

4. Someday, you might be able to spend the night

In 2016, a proposal was submitted to allow guests to spend up to two nights in the Opera House. This exciting opportunity hasn't been approved yet, so in the meantime you'll have to settle for the next best thing: an elegant Potts Point apartment hotel with a coveted view of the building. 

For your trip to Sydney, book a room with us at The Macleay Hotel to fully enjoy the splendor and beauty of the Sydney Opera House!

Many of our rooms at The Macleay have breathtaking views of the Sydney Opera House.