In Canada, a Great Stone Face

Most first-time visitors to the Canadian Museum of Civilization get their initial view of it from the heights of Parliament Hill, across the river in Ottawa, Canada's capital. On a bright fall day, the main museum building with its rounded copper roofs appears to uncoil like a large elegant snake seeking sun on the lowland riverbanks. Once they cross the bridge into Hull, however, and find themselves standing next to the museum's rough-hewn stone walls, visitors are more likely to compare the architecture to weatherworn cliffs or mountain outcrops. The architectural forms and materials inevita...