Australian War Memorial, Canberra

The Australian War Memorial on the site designated for a casino on Griffin plan. Decision to erect the War memorial on axis with Parliament House in 1923.
Competition held in 1924-25 and attracted 69 entries that were all disqualified by the adjudicators, consisting of Sir Charles Rosenthal President of the Federal Council of the Australian Institute of Architects, Commonwealth Architect John Smith Murdoch and Professor Leslie Wilkinson of the School of Architecture at the University of Sydney.
Twelve entrants given honorariums and two Sydney architects John Crust and Emil Sodersten asked to collaborate on a design, which they agreed to do in 1926. The design was finally approved during 1928 and work commenced (and halted) in 1929. Construction recommenced during 1934 and was completed in 1941.
What resulted is much more of Sodersten, one of Sydney’s foremost exponents of the Art Deco style although he had resigned before completion.

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