While shell-like roofs, unlike anything else in the world, make the Sydney Opera House an image of timeless beauty. It is famous for being a symbol, not only of a city, but a whole country and condition too. Its creator, Danish architect Jorn Utzon , turned 85 last Wednesday. And he was awarded the Prizker Prize, known as the Nobel Prize of Architecture, on April 6. But Utzon has never seen his Opera House. The story began in 1957 when Utzon won an international competition to design an opera house in Sydney. But not everyone was enthusiastic ( ) . Utzon left his Opera project in 1966 after an argument with the local government and a storm of public criticism over the building's design. It was not completed until seven years later and Utzon has never returned to Australia to see the result of his work. "Utzon made a building well ahead of its time, and he persevered   through criticism to build a building that changed the image of an entire country," said Frank Gehry, a Pritzer Architecture Prize judge. Although the Sydney Opera House was Utzon's masterpiece, it damaged his career. Upon his return to Denmark, he found work hard to come by , so he become a teacher at a university in Hawaii. Utzon said he once saw posters of the Opera House. The interiors were different from his design. But, he said, "There is no regret, for it gave me such a wonderful experience in Australia and towards which I only have love and appreciation ." Britain's Queen Elizabeth opened the Opera House in 1973, and it now holds around 3000 events every year. It is recognized as one of the great symbolic buildings of the 20th century. The Sydney Opera House was completed  _  .
in 1957 in 1906 in 1973 in 1980