First comes the idea, then the blueprint, the construction, and finally - the opening day.
It鈥檚 a similar story for thousands of buildings throughout the world, and also throughout history. But sometimes a major construction project is unveiled to the world and, just as its dreamers dreamed, it grabs hold of a million imaginations and refuses to let go.
麻豆官网首页入口 Bitesize takes a look at the sights and stories surrounding the opening moments of landmarks we probably can鈥檛 think of the world without.
Royal Albert Hall: 29 March 1871
Six million red bricks and 80,000 blocks of terracotta were used in the construction of the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington, London. Work began in 1867 and the building was originally planned much earlier, as part of a vision by Prince Albert - the husband of Queen Victoria - to have a building known as Central Hall that was dedicated to the celebration of the arts and sciences. Albert鈥檚 death in 1861 delayed the plans and when the project restarted, there was one key difference - the hall would now bear his name.
The Guardian newspaper, then known as The Manchester Guardian, gave a thorough account of the opening ceremony, which was attended by Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales among the royal party, and included a musical programme.
Their report mentioned: 鈥淭he upper tier and balcony were well occupied, but the place would have held 2,000 or 3,000 more, and the spectacle would have been all the better; for the building is so vast, so far beyond any similar structure in Europe, larger even than the Scala at Milan, or the great theatres of Venice and Naples, that it is only when it is filled in every part that it can be seen to advantage.鈥
More than 150 years later, the Royal Albert Hall continues to be a major landmark in UK culture, and is the regular home of the 麻豆官网首页入口 Proms.
The Eiffel Tower: 31 March 1889
Although it stands proud as a tourist attraction in its own right, the Eiffel Tower was originally one part of a major expedition, called the Paris Exposition, to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.
Exposition Universelle, to give its official title, ran from May to November and covered a large site - 95 hectares in all, just under a square km - with the brand new tower as its centrepiece.
More than 12,000 visitors came to the tower each day during the Expo, with around 30,000 climbing all 1,710 steps to the top as the lifts were not operational until 26 May.
A newspaper report of the opening event quoted civil engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company built the tower, after he flew the French flag from it: 鈥淲e are now at the end of our task; but to achieve it, what efforts we all had to make, both in terms of intelligence and work!鈥
He continued: 鈥淏ut we felt that once engaged in this path, there was no turning back, and having promised to realize a work often attempted or dreamed of but never before executed by any nation, we had to keep our word, or risk compromising part of the national honour.鈥
Although it was only supposed to stand for 20 years, the installation of a radio antenna atop the tower in the early 20th Century gave it vital scientific status and a then 70-year extension on the site. Later, the antenna had strategic importance during World War Two when intercepting enemy transmissions. The Eiffel Tower still stands, and continues to welcome almost seven million visitors each year.
The Golden Gate Bridge: 27 May 1937
If you鈥檝e ever wanted to enter the record books by finding a unique way of crossing this San Franciscan landmark, check first that it wasn鈥檛 already done on its opening day.
This distinctive feat of engineering and architecture first opened on 27 May 1937, spanning the strait known as Golden Gate which separates San Francisco, California, from nearby Marin County. It is 1.7 miles (approx 2.7km) in length and its pair of trademark tower struts rise 227m (746ft) above the water. It鈥檚 featured in films such as Superman (1978) and the James Bond classic A View to a Kill (1985) with the bridge鈥檚 vast scale lending itself well to stunt and action sequences.
A celebration was held for the new bridge on what was known as Pedestrians Day, when members of the public could walk the expansive section of the bridge that would soon become the sole property of vehicles. Many schools and businesses closed so that the city could enjoy the historic moment. At 6am, around 18,000 people were waiting to cross, with the toll gates on both sides opening as foghorns sounded the hour.
Sprinter Donald Bryan from San Francisco Junior College was the first person to cross the entire bridge, while sisters Carmen and Minnie Perez did it on roller skates. Florentine Calegari covered the distance in both directions on stilts, while others tap-danced or made the crossing on unicycle. It was a great day for so many people, although slightly disappointing for sisters from a nearby high school who expected a prize for being the first twins across. There wasn鈥檛 one.
In 2023, the Golden Gate Bridge reported annual traffic of 32.7m vehicles, raising just over $146m in tolls.
Sydney Opera House: 20 October 1973
It was a sunny, yet windy, afternoon in Sydney, New South Wales.
At just after 2.30pm, the Aboriginal actor Ben Blakeney, a well-known face from Australian TV, performed what was described as 鈥渢he most important two-minute part of his life鈥. He played Bennelong, the first Aboriginal man to visit Europe and return, whose name was given to the land where the brand new Sydney Opera House now stood.
Blakeney鈥檚 poignant contribution was part of a day of immense celebration in the New South Wales city, when the shell-like opera house opened on 20 October 1973, 14 years after construction first began.
Queen Elizabeth II performed the opening ceremony, wearing a duck-egg blue dress with matching hat. The locals got in on the occasion too. Households on the northern shore of the harbour were asked to turn their lights on to keep it illuminated and major buildings and landmarks were covered in light bulbs to make Sydney sparkle as much as possible.
The event was codenamed Operation O by its organisers and more than half a million spectators attended the opening, either on the water in boats, from the harbour itself or the parks on the foreshore, with millions more watching the live TV broadcast in Australia and around the world. It was a big day for Sydney鈥檚 street vendors too. Between them, the crowds ate 96,000 meat pies, a tonne of hot dogs, 2,000 gallons of fruit juice and 150,000 cups of instant coffee.
Sydney Opera House is now Australia鈥檚 top tourist destination with more than 10.9m visitors each year.
This article was published in May 2024
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