The bulding was undergoing a renovation.
Old building + hot work = frequent fires.
This is how Notre Dam burned. It's how the old Capitol building in Iowa burned. It's how the Yonkers building burned. If you don't like it, the answer isn't to blame a secret cabal that wants to destroy history. THE ANSWER IS TO STOP IMPORTING FUCKING INCOMPETENT IMMIGRANT CONSTRUCTION WORKERS.
Honestly, it's such a huge block of concrete (mostly) that the only possible way to effectively destroy it would be to demolish it, or like, nuke the city lol. Neither of which seem overly likely...
It's mostly hideous, on the inside (although I haven't been in since the latest "restoration" work), but I will admit that the exteriors are stunning, and the lounge areas at the top of the sails have probably the coolest views in the whole country (you're literally floating/hanging out over the harbour - one of the coolest experiences I've had there). The tradeoff being that the acoustics are shit, which is, again, mostly because the NSW Government of the time sacked Utzon before he could finish it, due to the unbelievably massive cost blowouts...
Anyway, thanks, yeah, I hope so too, lol. It and the Coathanger are two of my favourite things this country has ever built. Though if this -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Coffee_Palace or this -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APA_Building,_Melbourne still existed, it would bump them down my list somewhat.
Saint Mary's Cathedral and the QVB Building, and The Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, are also pretty iconic, but far less recognized...
Interiors-wise, I think this one - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dymocks_Building,Sydney.jpg and this one https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Theatre(Sydney) are my favourites. Although the former BankSA building in Adelaide (now a restaurant) is right up there, too.
Walking around the Sydney city centre at dawn, several times, when there was almost no one else around, and just marveling at the architecture, is an experience I won't soon forget.
I will check all of those out.
You know, I've always wondered about the inside of the Opera House but never looked in to it.