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the Australian War Memorial Act 1925 and it was given a prominent and symbolic site on Griffin's land axis, opposite Parliament House and separate from the governmental and civic groups. This was similar to Lutyen's New Delhi, where the
All-India War Memorial Arch (1921-31) and the Viceroy's Palace were to face each other at opposite ends of a ceremonial avenue. Griffin supported the prominent siting of the AWM. The project was to cost no more than £250,000.

The competition for the AWM was conducted in 1925-26. The entries were assessed by Professor Leslie Wilkinson, Sir Charles Rosenthal and John Smith Murdoch (Commonwealth's Director-General of Works). Short listed entries were sent to London for adjudication by Sir Reginald Blomfield, designer of works for the Imperial War Graves Commission. None of the entries met all of the competition conditions and no winner was announced. Two competitors, Emil Sodersteen and John Crust, were asked to develop a new collaborative design to incorporate Sodersteen's architectural style and Crust's innovative and cost cutting approach. Sodersteen and Crust presented their design in 1927. The architectural style was primarily Sodersteen's and drew on the recent art deco style, while the form of the building was

strongly influenced by Crust's intention to incorporate a commemorative courtyard for the Roll of Honour (Pearson & Crocket 1995: 10-11; Inglis 1998: 341). The competition committee also had an influence on the design.

Construction began in early 1928 but was curtailed and postponed by the onset of the Depression. In 1934 work started again in a limited way by builders Simmie and Company. The design underwent many changes throughout its fourteen years of construction and major details were not resolved until 1938. Crust supervised the completion of the building following disputes between Sodersteen and the AWM Board, and Sodersteen and Crust, which resulted in Sodersteen's resignation in 1938 (McKernan 1991: 10). In 1935, the collections and staff were moved into parts of the building. The AWM was officially opened on 11 November 1941 although some areas were not completed until many years later. At this time, the AWM comprised the main building, a 'gun park' enclosure at the rear of the building, the commemorative stone for the building (1929) and the Lone Pine tree (1934). The Roll of Honour was not yet completed in the cloisters, the Hall of Memory was unbuilt and the grounds were not yet landscaped.

The AWM's role has expanded several times since its opening and extensions were made to the building to reflect this. The legislation was amended in 1941 to include Australia's involvement in the Second World War and plans to extend the building were prepared from 1947 but these were not built for some years.