Park51

Park51
An artist's rendering of the proposed Park51
Basic information
Location	45–51 Park Place, Manhattan, New York City, New York 10007, United States
Geographic coordinates	40°42′49″N 74°00′36″W / 40.71361°N 74.01000°W / 40.71361; -74.01000
Affiliation	Islam
Status	Planned; 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2)
Leadership	Feisal Abdul Rauf Sharif El-Gamal
Website	park51.org
Architectural description
Groundbreaking	2011 (temporary mosque)
Construction cost	$100 million
Specifications
Capacity	Over 2,000
Height (max)	13 stories
Materials	Glass and steel

Park51 (originally named Cordoba House) was to be a 13-story Islamic community center in Lower Manhattan including a "Muslim community center and a mosque." The developers hoped to promote an interfaith dialogue within the greater community. Due to its proposed location two blocks from the World Trade Center site, it was widely and controversially referred to as the "Ground Zero mosque". Numerous commentators disputed that characterization.

Park51 would have replaced an existing 1850s building of Italianate style that was damaged in the September 11 attacks. The original design included a 500-seat auditorium, theater, performing arts center, fitness center, swimming pool, basketball court, childcare area, bookstore, culinary school, art studio, food court, and memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks. It also included a prayer space for the Muslim community to accommodate 1,000–2,000 people. Park51 was designed by the Principal of SOMA, Michel Abboud, who wrestled for months with a key problem to make the building fit naturally into its surrounds in lower Manhattan: on the one hand, it should have a contemporary design, and, at the same time, it should look Islamic.

In late September 2011, a temporary 4,000-square-foot (370 m²) Islamic center opened in renovated space at the Park51 location. In summer 2014, it was announced that there will instead be a 3-story museum with a prayer space, as well as condos, at 49-51 Park Place. In September 2015, it was reported that the owner of the site now plans to build a 667-foot (203 m), 70-story luxury condominium building at the site to take advantage of the booming residential real estate market in lower Manhattan. On May 19, 2016, financing was secured for a 43-story "high-end" condo with room for a Islamic cultural museum.

Plans to build then-named Cordoba House were reported in The New York Times in December 2009, at a location that was already in use for Muslim worship. Early response to the project was not pronounced, and one libertarian commentator provided positive coverage. The plans were reviewed by the local community board in May 2010, at which time they attracted some national media attention. Protests were sparked by a campaign launched by conservative bloggers Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, founders of the group Stop Islamization of America, who dubbed the project the "Ground Zero mosque", and a national controversy ensued.