Known adoringly as “the people’s house,” the Sydney Opera House, with its distinctive shark-fin silhouette, has become a symbol of Australia since its opening on October 20, 1973—50 years ago. Throughout its storied history, the Sydney Opera House has been a bastion of excellence in the realms of classical music, opera, and ballet. World leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II have graced the concert-hall stage, as well as the revolutionary jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald and the body-building champion Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won his final title there. The Museum of Sydney offers a behind-the-scenes look at the remarkable events that have shaped the historic site, along with an exploration of the building’s distinguished architecture through rare archival records and a playful LEGO model. —Nyla Gilstrap