How much money did the Sydney Opera House cost to build?
28222#24
The cost of the project so far, even in October 1966, was still only $22.9 million, less than a quarter of the final $102 million cost. However, the projected costs for the design were at this stage much more significant.
Sydney Opera House
903029#9
The Sydney Opera House was expected to be completed in 1963. A scaled-down version opened in 1973, a decade later. The original cost was estimated at $7 million, but its delayed completion led to a cost of $102 million.
Planning fallacy
21432552#1
It is estimated that 1.5 million spectators viewed the fireworks in the city, where 130 people were arrested during the course of the event. The total amount spent on cleaning up the immense amount of rubbish left behind cost around $160,000, funded by the City of Sydney. During the day, many spectators were turned down from vantage points such as the Sydney Opera House and Mrs Macquarie's Chair due to limited crowd capacity of arriving late. By 1:00pm the Opera House was closed when the crowd was full, upon entering the front deck of the Opera House, spectators needed a stamp on the arm from security guards during the morning hours of 8:00am–11:50am.
Sydney New Year's Eve 2009–10
28222#26
Following Utzon's resignation, the acoustic advisor, Lothar Cremer, confirmed to the Sydney Opera House Executive Committee (SOHEC) that Utzon's original acoustic design allowed for only 2000 seats in the main hall and further stated that increasing the number of seats to 3000 as specified in the brief would be disastrous for the acoustics. According to Peter Jones, the stage designer, Martin Carr, criticised the "shape, height and width of the stage, the physical facilities for artists, the location of the dressing rooms, the widths of doors and lifts, and the location of lighting switchboards."The Opera House was formally completed in 1973, having cost $102 million. H.R. "Sam" Hoare, the Hornibrook director in charge of the project, provided the following approximations in 1973:
Stage I: podium Civil & Civic Pty Ltd approximately $5.5m.
Stage II: roof shells M.R. Hornibrook (NSW) Pty Ltd approximately $12.5m.
Stage III: completion The Hornibrook Group $56.5m.
Separate contracts: stage equipment, stage lighting and organ $9.0m.
Fees and other costs: $16.5m.
Sydney Opera House
20338067#1
Designed in 1885 by Thomas J. Welsh, a prominent San Francisco architect, for the amount of $28,000, it was the first opera house to serve the Sacramento Valley. The builder for the community theater was Woodland contractor William Henry Curson. Several years later in July 1892 a fire that started in Dead Cat Alley behind the Opera House destroyed much of what is now the Downtown Woodland Historic District, including the Opera House. There was uncertainty whether the House would be rebuilt when a locally renowned businessman, David N. Hershey, purchased the site. Other local businessmen supported the project in addition to Hershey. The Opera House was rebuilt between 1895 and 1896 by local contractor William H. Winne at the cost of $8,990. Many of the materials from the original building were used including some of the partially standing walls.
Woodland Opera House
2768299#1
By 1960, the construction of the Sydney Opera House was proving increasingly expensive, so the New South Wales government initiated numerous Opera House lotteries to help raise money. The A£100,000 first prize (equivalent to A$2.9 million in 2017 values) for Lottery 10 was won by Bazil Thorne (ticket 3932) in the lottery drawn on Wednesday 1 June 1960. As there was no real conception of the need for privacy for lottery winners at that time, and also for the sake of transparency, images and private details of Thorne's lottery win were published on the front pages of Sydney newspapers. It was also revealed that the prize would be paid by Thursday 7 July.
Murder of Graeme Thorne
28222#27
The original cost and scheduling estimates in 1957 projected a cost of £3,500,000 ($7 million) and completion date of 26 January 1963 (Australia Day). In reality, the project was completed ten years late and 1,357% over budget in real terms.
Sydney Opera House
25447242#1
The Rochester Opera House was built in 1908, designed by George G. Adams. Adams built six other municipal buildings for cities around New England, including Waterville, Maine, Dover, New Hampshire, and Derry, New Hampshire. Construction costing nearly $62,000, the Rochester Opera House accommodated 1,012 people and featured a grand proscenium, intricate stenciling, murals, and a suspended horseshoe balcony. One of its most interesting features was its unique moving floor system. The floor of the opera house can be lowered to become a flat surface and be used for dances, town hall meetings, etc. or raised to a tilt for viewing shows. Adams equipped four different buildings with this flooring system. However, due to fires and other events, the Rochester Opera House is the only known theater in the United States to still use this type of flooring. It is truly an architectural treasure.
Rochester Opera House
16630809#10
The demise of the Opera House began in 1923, when it was leased to Saenger Films of New Orleans, under title of the Plaza Amusement Company, at a cost of $1,000 a month for a period of 25 years. The lease was for thirty years, but in 1927, Saenger bought the larger Temple Theater and wanted to gut the opera house for use as an office building. Because Levi Rothenberg, the previous owner (and builder) of the opera house had inserted a clause into the lease specifying that the building could be used only as a theater, Plaza Amusement abandoned it and refused to pay rent. After Saenger reneged on the lease, a long court battle ensued. The Rothenbergs eventually won the case, but the Great Depression had begun by then, Saenger had declared bankruptcy, Levi Rothenberg had died, and the Grand Opera House was closed.
Riley Center
9463204#10
In May 1951, the city offered the Metropolitan Opera and New York Philharmonic a chance to build a new opera house and operate it tax-free on part of the Coliseum's land. "The New York Times" described it as Moses's "new approach" toward the project. At this point, the land for the Coliseum had still not been acquired. By July 1951, more than half the $1 million cost for the proposed Metropolitan Opera House's site had been raised. By January 1952, the opera had achieved $900,000 of the cost of acquisition, which had jumped to $1.2 million. However, the plan for a Metropolitan Opera House at Columbus Circle was dropped in March 1952. Moses later said that the problems surrounding the site, including internal conflicts among the Metropolitan Opera's directors regarding whether the opera should simply rebuild its existing opera house.
New York Coliseum