An architect is reunited with his masterpiece
Jørn Utzon, the architect behind the Sydney Opera House has been invited to help update his masterpiece in an attempt to "reunite the man and the masterpiece" as the Opera House announcement put it. Utzon resigned from the delayed project ten years into it as the complicated sail-like project became more and more expensive and controversial and has not seen the building since its completion according to this New York Times story by Ada Louise Huxtable:
But the story gets even better. Mr. Utzon was asked to formulate a set of Design Principles -- as they are officially described and capitalized in Opera House documents -- against which all future changes or proposals will be measured. The purpose of this unusual step, according to the chairman of the Sydney Opera House , Joseph Skrzynski, is to "retain the integrity of Utzon's vision," providing "insight into the design, and guidance for the building's conservation and management."
Integrity? Vision? Insight? Guidance? These are not words or concepts frequently heard or honored by the boards and bureaucracies that build our most important monuments and institutions. One would hope for echoes in Lower Manhattan, as the dealing and juggling on the World Trade Center site continues. But there's more. A foundation has been set up by the Opera House in Mr. Utzon's name that will promote programs and prizes in the performing arts, inspired by the pioneering, expressive spirit of the building.