Using a centuries old process developed in Eastern Europe, the Sydney Opera House is magnificently reproduced as a glass Christmas ornament.

Each Australian Christmas ornament is constructed of molten glass hand-blown into a mold. Once the glass is shaped, it is then silvered. Silvering helps to create a reflective property and depth of color in the ornament. After the Sydney ornaments are dry, they are then decorated. Each of these Landmark Creations ornaments is hand-painted. The painting process can take up to one week for a single Sydney Opera House ornament. As they are individually hand-painted, you are guaranteed to receive a unique ornament, since no two will look exactly the same.

NYCwebStore.com is proud to offer you these Sydney Christmas ornaments and we are sure they will be cherished in your family for generations. Each Sydney ornament is delivered in a signature red box, which is sturdy enough to store it after each season.

Measures 4½" Tall

History of the Sydney Opera House: Sir Eugene Goosens was both honored and frustrated to be appointed Sydney's Chief Conductor in 1947. Concerts could only be held in the Town Hall and this simply would not do. He immediately proclaimed plans for a grand performance hall, much to the government's consternation. For seven years Sir Goosens persisted and for seven years the uncooperative politicians looked increasingly sheepish. Embarrassed, Premier Joseph Cahill introduced the "Opera House Lotteries," which went on to raise an astounding $100 million. Suddenly, cost was no object! An international design competition was held, with the winning entry coming not from Australia as hoped, but from Danish architect Jorn Utzon. There was just one catch: his design, modeled on a Gothic cathedral, was structurally impossible. Utzon rushed back to the drawing board, but wasn't given time to finish his blueprints before construction began in 1959. Adding to his headaches, the government decided the building needed four theatres instead of two. Utzon threw up his hands in 1966 and was replaced by a team of Australian architects. It wasn't until 1973, when the Opera House was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth, that the curtain finally closed on a political and architectural drama of operatic proportions.

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