Douglas Joseph Cardinal (born 7 March 1934) is a Canadian architect based in Ottawa, Ontario. His architecture is influenced by his Indigenous heritage, as well as European Expressionist architecture. Cardinal designed the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, and the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC.

Life

Born in Calgary, Alberta, to parents Joseph and Frances Cardinal, Douglas Cardinal is the oldest of eight children. He is a member of the Siksika Nation. His father was of Siksika (Blackfoot), French, and Ojibwe heritage, while his mother was of German, French and Mohawk/Métis descent.

Cardinal's parents met in 1926. Despite the limited rights of women in the early 20th century, which discouraged women's education, the matrilineal culture of Cardinal's father's tribe accepted Cardinal's mother. These cultural ideas shaped Cardinal's upbringing and affected his worldview and relationship with his heritage. He has recalled that his mother told him at a young age, "You’re going to be an architect."

University

In 1953, he started studying architecture at the University of British Columbia (UBC) but was forced to leave two years later due to his radical ideas. Cardinal's architectural approach was to create buildings that responded to nature, which did not align with the ideas of modernism that were prominent in the 1950s.

Career

Cardinal opened his private practice in 1964. That same year, he was commissioned to design St. Mary's Church in Red Deer, Alberta. Construction was completed in 1968. It has since been recognized as a prominent example in the history of Canadian architecture. In 2007, the church was featured on a Canada Post stamp series featuring four Canadian architects to commemorate the centennial of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC).

Beginning with his work at St. Mary's, Cardinal was one of the first North American architects to use computers to assist in the design process. Cardinal used 3D design programs to lay out the exact dimensions of buildings and help shape his curvilinear designs to the landscape around them.

In 1993, he was hired by the Smithsonian Institution as the Primary Design Architect for the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). The NMAI is currently situated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and is directly across from the Capitol of the United States of America. After contractual disputes, Cardinal was removed from the project in 1998 before it was completed, but he continued to provide input into the building's design.

In 2008, his firm was hired by the Kirkland Foundation to design a museum/convention centre in Union City, Tennessee. The Discovery Park of America was intended to be a unique structure housing a multilevel museum, with artifacts from across the nation, as well as large mixed-use community spaces. However, in early 2009, the firm's contract was terminated and all construction activity was halted.

Architectural style and philosophy

Throughout his early years, Cardinal dealt with racism and pressure to conform to mainstream architectural styles. He did not fully embrace his Indigenous heritage until moving to Texas. In 1970s, Cardinal developed his trademark architectural style with organic curvilinear forms. In those years, he also started wearing native clothes and necklaces and became an advocate for Indigenous rights.

Cardinal start the project in 1967. Despite initial challenges, St. Mary's Church became one of his most iconic designs. The church has 750 seats inside and includes tubular skylights for natural daylight. Its blend of natural organic forms was considered unprecedented for the time.

Canadian Museum of History

thumb|[[Canadian Museum of History|alt=|274x274px]]The Canadian Museum of Civilization, which opened in 1989, is another project that reflects Cardinal's architectural style. The building is located on the banks of the Ottawa River,facing Parliament Hill. Whereas the government buildings in the city centre face away from the river, Cardinal designed the Museum of Civilization building to face the river. He also included a curvilinear facade that wraps around the environment. The envelope of the building is shaped in an organic form that mimics many shapes commonly found in nature.

In appreciation for the neighboring Parliament buildings, Cardinal used the same limestone material to construct the museum. The museum also engages with its historical context by including totem poles and native murals inside the building. Cardinal wanted the space inside to feel alive and dynamic. Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau also encouraged Cardinal to create a museum where people embrace their different backgrounds and learn from each other. Trudeau's idea for a multicultural Canadian society aligned well with Cardinal's vision.

However, in 1984 the new Brian Mulroney government did not approve Cardinal's design. He lost his team on the project and was not fully paid for his previous work. However, Cardinal was dedicated to completing the building. He eventually finished the museum and it became one of his many fundamental projects.

Architectural peers

Cardinal was part of a community that included some of Canada's most influential architects, such as Moshe Safdie, Raymond Moriyama, Eberhard Zeidler, Arthur Erickson, Ray Affleck and Ron Thom. Although the members' styles and conceptual vision were different, they all agreed on a shared vision of architecture that conveyed meaning and beauty, rather than the commercial style of the era.

However, Cardinal struggled with personal and financial problems, and consequently he did not receive as much recognition as his peers.

  • St. Mary's Church (1968) Red Deer, Alberta
  • Cardinal Residence (1982) Stony Plain, Alberta
  • Edmonton Space And Science Centre (1984) Coronation Park, Edmonton, Alberta, which has since been renovated and rebranded as the Telus World of Science
  • Circle of Life Thunderbird Place (2001) Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • First Nations University (2003) in Regina, Saskatchewan
  • Me-No-Ya Win Health Centre (2010) Sioux lookout, Ontario
  • Wabano Centre (2013) Ottawa, Ontario
  • Gordon Oakes Red Bear Centre (2016) at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
  • Unceded: Voices of the Land Exhibition (2018) at the Venice Biennale
  • Adelante Healthcare Goodyear Project (2018) Mesa, Arizona
  • Long Point First Nation, Winneway, Quebec
  • Iskotew Healing Lodge, Ottawa, Ontario
  • Bonneville Rehabilitation Centre, Bonnyville, Alberta
  • Ojigkwanong Students Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario
  • Ile a la Crosse Elementary School, Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan
  • Cardinal Studio Sudbury, Ontario
  • Oujé-Bougoumou Village, Oujé-Bougoumou, Quebec
  • Janvier Gallery, Cold Lake, Alberta
  • Grand Traverse Civic Centre, Grand Traverse County, Michigan, USA

Achievements

Writings

  • Of the Spirit, NeWest Press (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), 1977.
  • (With Trevor Boddy) The Architecture of Douglas Cardinal, NeWest Press (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), 1989.
  • Honor award, Alberta Association of Architects, 1968;
  • Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Millennium Celebration of Architecture, St. Mary’s Church, Alberta, 2000; After his return to Red Deer, Douglas Cardinal met his former high school sweetheart Deirdre. Her Irish Catholic family did not accept their relationship because of his heritage, so the pair eloped. They had one daughter.

Because interracial marriages were illegal at the time, charges were pressed against Cardinal. Lawyer and archbishop Anthony Jordan defended Cardinal, who was found not guilty. However, Deirdre's family pressured her to move home, where she raised her and Cardinal's daughter alone. Idoia Arana-Beobide, is of Basque origin and 30 years his junior. Arana-Beobide works as a director at his architectural firm.

References

Bibliography

Hall, J. (July 14, 2014). The Outsider: How Douglas Cardinal Draws Genius from Native Roots. Toronto, ON: Toronto Newspapers Limited. .

Douglas Cardinal. (2018). The Canadian Architect, 63(2), 30–32.

Douglas Joseph Cardinal. (2016). Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors, Gale. Gale Literature Resource Center.

Cardinal, D. J. (1998). Architecture as a living process. Canadian Journal of Native Education, 22(1), 3.

Liscombe, R. (2003). Cardinal, Douglas. Grove Art Online. Retrieved on 2020-03-30 from https://www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7000014003.

  • Architect's web site
  • Canada Council 2001 Governor General's Award for Visual and Media Arts
  • Washington Post
  • Douglas Cardinal Archiving Project
  • History Museum of Canada