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September 16, 2004
Sydney Opera House, one of the iconic 20th century buildings.
Max Dupain
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An iconic site with a troubled history. Utzon had resigned in 1966, after 10 years on the job, driven out by dissension and compromise as costs skyrocketed for the difficult construction. He went back to Denmark and never returned to see the completed building until now. The depressingly pedestrian interiors that were designed by others after his departure have always been a letdown from the poetic presence in the harbor.
A wrong has been righted. Almost 40 years after he left, Jorn Utzon has been called back to redo the interiors in the spirit of his original design. He was named consulting architect three years ago, for as long as the work continues.
Thirty years of performances and tourism had taken their toll. The interiors of the Opera House are being refurbished, a polite word for major revisions to deal with developments in the performing arts and the way the building is used. Utzon was recalled so as to put things right that were so blatantly wrong. It is a retrofitting. now under way, is being funded by the City of Sydney and the Sydney Opera House Trust, with an allocation of 45 million Australian dollars (about $30 million) from the New South Wales Ministry for the Arts.
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