Park51

Park51
Artist's rendering of the originally proposed Park51
Religion
Affiliation	Islam[1]
Leadership	Feisal Abdul Rauf Sharif El-Gamal
Status	Planned; 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2)
Location
Location	45–51 Park Place, Manhattan, New York City, New York 10007, United States[2][3][4]
Geographic coordinates	40°42′49″N 74°00′36″W / 40.71361°N 74.01000°W / 40.71361; -74.01000
Architecture
Groundbreaking	2011 (temporary mosque)
Construction cost	$100 million
Specifications
Capacity	Over 2,000[5]
Height (max)	13 stories
Materials	Glass and steel
Website
park51.org

Park51 (originally named Cordoba House) was a development originally envisioned as a 13-story Islamic community center and mosque in Lower Manhattan, New York City. 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 of the September 11 attacks, the proposed building was widely and controversially referred to as the "Ground Zero mosque".^[6]

The project would replace an existing 1850s Italianate building that was damaged in the attacks. The original design was by SOMA Architects principal Michel Abboud, who wrestled for months with the challenge of making the building fit naturally into its lower Manhattan surroundings. He felt it should have a contemporary design, but also look Islamic. His 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 a memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks. It also included a prayer space for the Muslim community that would accommodate 1,000–2,000 people.

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 would instead be a three-story museum with a prayer space, as well as condos, at 49-51 Park Place. The plans were changed again in September 2015 when the owner announced a 667-foot (203 m) 70-story luxury condominium building at the site. In May 2016, financing was secured for a 43-story condominium building with room for an Islamic cultural museum adjacent to it.

The condominium building, called 45 Park Place, started construction in 2017 and was nearly completed by 2019. Construction of the Islamic cultural space, slated to contain 16,000 square feet (1,500 m²) of space and measure 71 feet (22 m) tall at 51 Park Place, had not begun as of 2024^[update].