The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, opening in 1973 after a long gestation that had begun with his competition-winning design in 1957. Joseph Cahill’s New South Wales Government gave the go-ahead for work to begin in 1958. The government’s bold decision to select Utzon’s design is often overshadowed by the scandal that followed.