Centre-ville, The Con

The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (formerly NSW State Conservatorium of Music and known as ‘The Con’) is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia. Originally commissioned in 1815 as the stables for the proposed Government House of NSW, the oldest Conservatorium building was designed by the convict architect, Francis Greenway. A gothic structure with turrets, the building was described as a "palace for horses" and is a portrayal of the romantic vision of Governor Lachlan Macquarie and the British architectural trends of the time.