A Living Memorial

This photograph, from the 1860s, depicts Pukekawa, a volcanic crater, Māori pā and prominent hill overlooking the Waitematā harbour which is now also known as the Auckland Domain. Rangitoto can be seen in the distance on the left.

This beautiful ink-and-watercolour drawing by the Auckland architectural practice Grierson, Aimer and Draffin helped them win the 1922 competition for a new War Memorial Museum for Auckland.

The 1920s was a period when ties to Great Britain were still strong amongst the Pākehā population, and many of the country's architectural styles were reused in New Zealand cities. Although Britain's fascination with the neoclassical Greek Revival style was all but over by this time, references to Classical Greece continued on into the early 20th century in Europe and the New World.The commanding site atop Pukekawa – a volcanic crater, Māori pā and prominent hill overlooking the Waitematā harbour – recalled the rock promontories of the Mediterranean coastline dotted with Greek temples. Many soldiers would have seen these ancient sites, including the building's architects, and symbolism from Classical Greece was thus useful on many levels. It was associated with ideas of nationalism (important for the War Memorial dimension) and intellectual rigour (for the Museum function).The British Museum of 1852 was in Greek Revival style. And the choice of the Doric order, with its beautiful fluted columns and simple entablature, gave an air of strength and solemnity.In the book A Noble Prospect, Richard Wolfe notes: "The building would be seen from a distance, and this dictated a simple composition of strong light and shade. For both aesthetic and economic reasons, they chose Greek Doric style; at close range it presented the quiet dignity appropriate for a memorial, while its simplicity gave it the advantage of being relatively inexpensive to construct."

The Cenotaph in front of the Museum was also drawn and detailed by the architects, and was virtually a facsimile of Sir Edwin Lutyens' Cenotaph at Whitehall. The walls are faced with Portland Stone, a fossiliferous limestone from the Portland Island in Dorset, and the base and steps are made of "Coromandel Granite"—actually a tonalite from the northwest tip of the Coromandel Peninsula. It seems there was a sincere attempt to blend European references with local ideas or materials, although the European character always dominates. As the New Zealand architect and critic Samuel Hurst Seager commiserated in 1900: "We have no style, no distinctive forms of (architectural) art … our cities are chiefly made up of architectural quotations." By 1929 it seems this was little changed, and ironically it wasn’t until after the First World War that Pākehā started to question ties to Mother England and begin searching for a local architectural identity.The Museum building, with its attempts at introducing ornament based on local flora and indigenous culture, is a notable example of some kind of search for a sense of place. But with their Beaux Arts training and the traditional expectations of the community, the architects explored these themes in decorative elements only, not in the substance or form of the building.

The 1929 building was designed so that it could be extended in the future. The project for the southern half of the building – faced in concrete rather then stone – was initiated after the Second World War, but was not completed until 1960. It was designed by the architects M. K. and R. F. Draffin – one of the original architects and his son. Another major refurbishment and extension happened in 2006 with the infill of the southern atrium and basement excavation, overseen by Noel Lane Architects.

As the Museum embarks on a new period of growth and renewal, under the strategic direction of Future Museum, we remember the words of the first curator and director, Thomas Cheeseman< from his memorandum of 1919, "What is to be Auckland's War Memorial?": "In a broad sense, the chief value of a Museum is that it affords recreation and instruction for every class in the community. There is no distinction of persons. Rich and poor, old and young, all will find its doors open, and all will meet on a common level."