 By 1954, the shape of the museum had evolved from a line into a "T" with the completion of an addition (now the Early Wars, Poster, and African American gallery areas).The final addition was completed in 1987, in which the left side of the "T" was enclosed to form the Fowler and Weapons Galleries along with the current Education areas and restrooms.The museum's collection primarily centers on the First and Second World War, as the American Legion members who founded it were primarily World War I veterans, and many World War II troops passing through the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation left things with the museum they did not wish to bring home.