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Architecture & design

Tour

Leaving Only Memories: the loss of Burdekin House tour

Join us for a guided tour through remnants and photographs of Burdekin House, whose loss helped to galvanise Sydney’s heritage movement

Friday 11 September 10.30am–11.30am
Deck and Harry Seidler mural at Rose Seidler House.
Guided tour

Living with Modernism: Inside Rose Seidler House

Step inside one of Australia’s most celebrated modernist homes and discover the life and work of visionary architect Harry Seidler

Saturday 7 November 10am–11am
The Trades Hall atrium

Ten architectural terms you might hear on a Sydney Open tour (and what they mean)

Heading to a Sydney Open tour? Consider this your architectural phrasebook – ten concepts explained that’ll help you make sense of the buildings you encounter

Opera Australia Metamorphosis
Tour

Behind-the-Scenes Tours of the Opera Centre

Go behind the scenes at the Opera Centre in Surry Hills, the creative heart of Opera Australia, on Saturday 12 September as part of the Sydney Open Series

Saturday 12 September 10am–11.15am
Dangrove Art Storage
Guided tour

Exclusive Guided Tours of Dangrove

Step inside Dangrove, a remarkable purpose-built art storage facility in Alexandria commissioned by philanthropist and art collector Judith Neilson, and discover a hidden world dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of contemporary art

Friday 16 October 10am–11am
Hotel Victoria, William and Victoria Streets, Darlinghurst, Plans for re-erection, corner elevation, elevations to William and Victoria Streets, Architect E Lindsay - Thompson, King Street, Sydney, Lodged 23 January 1914, signed 30 November 1914

Designing Your Local: Hotel Plans in the NSW State Archives Collection

Under the Sale of Liquor Act 1881, applications for liquor licences were submitted to the local Licensing Court for consideration. This Act required licensed premises to meet a minimum standard of accommodation.

Burdekin House, Elizabeth Bay House, Sydney Mint, Old Sydney 1933-35 / [Thomas J Lawlor, photographer] [photograph album]
Featured display

Leaving Only Memories: The loss of Burdekin House

Our current display showcases objects and artworks related to Burdekin House, a grand colonial mansion that once stood on Macquarie Street but was demolished in 1933, a victim of Sydney’s urban development

Tuesday 7 July

Rustic adornment: design imitating nature

Rustic design style evokes nature by imitating organic forms such as tree branches, flowers and animals, and incorporates natural textures like wood and stone

Constructive Women and the power of community

This paper was written by Rhys Burke in 2026 as a recipient of the Dr Zeny Edwards OAM Student Research Fellowship at Museums of History NSW