World icon turns 40: Sydney Opera House

Lin Utzon, Naja Popov-Wilson, Savannah Popov-Wilson and Jan Utzon celebrate the Sydney Opera House's 40th anniversary at Sydney Opera House on October 20, 2013 in Sydney, Australia. Today the iconic Sydney Opera House celebrates 40 years since it was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973.
 

A giant birthday cake sits on the Opera House forecourt to celebrate the Sydney Opera House's 40th anniversary at Sydney Opera House on October 20, 2013 in Sydney, Australia. esigned by Danish architect, Jorn Utzon, the famous landmark is the busiest performance centre in the world with over 1500 performances per year and serves as home to Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.  Utzon famously quit the project following delays and cost blow-outs, but the building was completed, ten years late and fourteen times over budget,  without any mention of the architect. Thirty years later, Jorn Utzon was awarded the Pritzker Prize and the Opera House was declared 'one of the great iconic buildings of the 20th century'. In 2007 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.(GETTY)

A giant birthday cup cake is displayed on the steps of the Sydney Opera House as the world heritage-listed building celebrates its 40th birthday on October 20, 2013.(AFP)

Celebrity chief Matt Moran (C) cuts pieces of a giant cake of the Sydney Opera House as the world heritage-listed building celebrates its 40th birthday on October 20, 2013. (AFP)

Savannah Popov-Wilson (R), great-granddaughter of Danish architect Jon Utzon eats a piece of a giant cake of the Sydney Opera House as the world heritage-listed building celebrates its 40th birthday on October 20, 2013.  The distinctive performance hall, inspired by Danish architect Jorn Utzon's childhood in the Aalborg shipyards, is one of Australia's best-known landmarks and a centrepiece of Sydney's cultural scene. (AFP)

A small fireworks display shoots out from a decorative cupcake during celebrations for the Sydney Opera House's 40th birthday in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. (AP)

Host HG Nelson speaks with Jan Utzon during the Sydney Opera House's 40th anniversary celebrations at Sydney Opera House on October 20, 2013 in Sydney, Australia. (GETTY)
 

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