The Outsider

He was a superstar of Canadian architecture in the 1980s and early 1990s, creator of the iconic, curvilinear Canadian Museum of Civilization (now called the Canadian Museum of History) and a household name. Now 80, Douglas Cardinal is still creating, though the big commissions have dried up. In The Outsider: How Douglas Cardinal Draws Genius from Native Roots, Toronto Star feature writer Joe Hall provides an in-depth look at the peaks and valleys of the architect’s career and life. And he notes that Cardinal, who has been chosen to design a native healing centre on Toronto’s West Don Lands – his very first Toronto commission – is intent on creating beauty for years to come.

Star Dispatches is a weekly series of quality journalism in ebook form from the newsroom of the Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaper.