American Indian Museum ousts architect

In politically correct Washington, D.C., it seemed like a perfect assignment. Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal, part Ojibwa, part Mohawk, was hired to design the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). The building, to open in 2002, will stand prominently on the Mall near the Capitol. Cardinal's organic structure is, he says, intended to celebrate American Indian culture.

But in late March, the Smithsonian fired Cardinal and GBQC Architects, the prime contractor with whom Cardinal is associated. Citing the architects' failure...