Design Competition for Canberra
Canberra is the only city in Australia the design of which was the subject of an international competition.
The Federal Capital Design Competition was launched on 24 May 1911.
Australia was a new and relatively unknown nation in the southern hemisphere a long way from the developed nations of the world. In those days travel to Australia was by steam ship and slow. This meant that overseas entrants in the competition would be unlikely or unable to visit the site for the Capital they were planning.
Contestants were sent detailed information and descriptions of the site, including hand coloured reproductions of cycloramic paintings of the area and a contour map on which the ground plan of the city was to be drawn.
In addition, large scale models of the city site were exhibited in London and in British embassies and consulates in Berlin, Cape Town, Chicago, New York, Ottawa, Paris, Pretoria, Washington and Wellington.
Some 137 entries were received and placed on display in the ballroom of Government House, Melbourne.
On 23 May 1912 the designs by three finalists were announced. They were those by Walter Burley Griffin of Chicago, USA, Eliel Saarinen of Finland and Alfred Agache of France.
Once again, there was a disagreement. The majority of the assessors favoured the entry by Walter Burley Griffin but they were unable to reach consensus as to which entry should be awarded first prize.
Griffin's design was awarded first prize in 1912 but was soon criticised as extravagant. O'Malley referred the three finalists entries to a Departmental Board who prepared a new design incorporating features of all three. When the city was formally named Canberra on 12 March 1913, the Board's plan was the official one. Following a change of Government in 1913 Griffin was invited to Australia to help the Board develop the city. The Board was disbanded and approval for it's plan cancelled.
Finally, in 1913 the Government appointed Griffin as Federal Capital Director of Design and Construction to implement his design. And so began the construction of the capital.