This museum presented the first opportunity to create in Washington
a place that honours the Native peoples of the Americas. In 1992,
Cardinal was invited by the Rockerfeller family to compete
internationally to design the Smithsonian National Museum of the
American Indian on the last site of the mall. He won the
competition in 1998.
Cardinal began the design work with a council of Native elders from
across North America. Utility work and excavation began in
September 1999, with completion date set for 2004. The project is
expected to cost about $110M U.S. and will occupy 275,000 square
feet of land. Commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution, the
museum is expected to be a keystone of the National Mall and a
powerful statement to the world about Native beliefs and culture in
the United States.
Like the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the design had to take
into account the needs for security, curatorial requirements,
exhibit functions, public accessibility, construction detailing,
environmental controls, and foreign regulatory agencies. At the
same time, the "design is an assemblage of sweeping curves and
gravity-defying planes unlike anything seen before in Washington,"
wrote author Jon Krakauer.
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