in an amalgamation of Neo-Greek and art-deco styles. Likewise the exterior bas-reliefs, carved by Richard Gross (18821964) and depicting 20th-century armed forces and personnel, are in a style which mixes Neo-Grec with Art Deco. Restored 19th-century plaster casts of three Greek statues—The Dying Gaul, "Laocoön and His Sons", and "Discobolus"—emphasise the Greek Revival architecture of the building, and are considered "an acknowledgement of the historical importance of the arts and learning of classical antiquity to [New Zealand's] imported European culture". They are among 33 statues donated to the Museum in 1878 by a wealthy expatriate Aucklander, Thomas Russell. The bulk of the building is English Portland stone, with detailing in New Zealand granite from the Coromandel. The quotation over the front porch—which begins ""—is attributed to the Greek statesman Pericles; its appearance is in keeping with the Museum's status as a war memorial. The full text reads as follows: Additions The 1929 building was designed so that it could be extended in the future. Two additions were made to the original building, the first in the late 1950s to commemorate the Second World War when an administration annexe with a large semi-circular courtyard was added to the southern rear. This extension is of concrete-block construction rendered in cement stucco to harmonise with the Portland stone of the earlier building. This major extension was designed by the architects M. K. and R. F. Draffin – one of the original architects and his son. In 2006, the inner courtyard was enclosed by a "Grand Atrium" at the southern entrance. Renovation and extension In the last two decades, the museum was renovated and extended in two stages. The first stage saw the existing building restored and the exhibits partly replaced during the 1990s for . The second stage of this restoration has seen a great dome and atrium constructed within the central courtyard, increasing the building's floor area by 60 per cent (an addition of ) at a cost of . of that was provided by the government, with the ASB Trust () and other donors making up the remainder. This second stage was finished in 2007. The copper and glass dome, as well as the viewing platform and event centre underneath it, had been criticised by some as "resembling a collapsed soufflé", but quickly won the admiration of critics and public, being noted for "its undulating lines, which echo the volcanic landscape