The Acropolis Museum opened in June 2009, but the story of the institution goes back many decades. In the 1950s, the Greek architect Patroklos Karantinos designed a museum to exhibit the archaeological finds from the Acropolis and its slopes. The building was situated on the Acropolis and adopted a modernist style that did not compete with the ancient temples. It was not large enough for the proper exhibition of the sculptures, so in 1974 the Greek prime minister, Konstantinos Karamanlis, called for the construction of a new museum that would be visually connected with the hill. Decades later, the construction works finally began. The futuristic design was chosen after four competitions, and the project was awarded to the New York-based architect, Bernard Tschumi, in collaboration with the Greek architect Michael Photiadis.