The castellated ‘Con’ was designed in 1817 by convict architect Francis Greenway as the stables and servants’ quarters of Governor Macquarie’s new government house. Partly because of the project’s extravagance, Macquarie was ousted before the house could be completed. In 1915 the stables were converted into a music conservatorium, which amalgamated with the University of Sydney in 1990. Subsequent renovations (equally extravagant at $145 million) created five world-class performance venues.
