Typology: North Dakota American Indian Center Site: Chief Looking?s Indian Village Bismarck, ND Area: 23,000 sq ft This thesis will investigate the role of architecture in representing and retaining a culture through architecture?s inherent characteristic as a symbol of past and present cultures. This project focuses on the Native American populations of the Bismarck/Mandan area and the effect a cultural center could have on the larger community. The project is placed within the landscape of the historic site Chief Looking?s Indian Village located within Bismarck, North Dakota. In the project I work towards a higher goal of creating an artifact sensitive to the Native American culture and a symbol of continued growth