Circular Quay Architecture

The Sydney Opera House sits on Bennelong Point, defined by its interlocking white concrete shells that resemble billowing sails against the harbor water. Danish architect Jørn Utzon designed these roofs in the late fifties, though his…

The crenellated tower and sandstone walls of Government House rise above the Royal Botanic Gardens, built to resemble a medieval castle from the nineteenth century. Sir George Gipps pushed for its completion in eighteen forty-five to…

The Sydney Conservatorium of Music features a series of sandstone battlements and turrets that mimic the silhouette of a medieval fortress. Originally built as the stables for the neighboring Government House in eighteen twenty-one,…

The Justice and Police Museum stands out for its curved, cream-colored facade and dark green timber balconies that loom over the corner of Albert and Phillip Streets. Built in eighteen fifty-six, this former water police court and station…

The Quay Quarter Tower stands out because of its rotating, stacked glass volumes that appear to shift as they climb toward the sky. Architects achieved this by keeping the core of the older nineteen-seventies building and wrapping it in a…

The sandstone facade of the Customs House features a row of Corinthian columns that hold up a heavy, classical pediment above the entrance. For over a century, this building served as the gatekeeper for every ship entering Sydney Harbour.…

The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia sits inside a heavy, sandstone building with a face of pale, stacked stone blocks that look far older than the modern art inside. It served as the Maritime Services Board building for decades,…

The sandstone cottage on George Street holds a jagged, sloping roof and a heavy, timber-framed door that dates back to eighteen sixteen. John Cadman, a former convict who eventually became the superintendent of government boats, lived here…