Muslim Center Could Come to Abandoned WTC Neighbor

A few blocks north of the World Trade Center, the former Burlington Coat Factory building at 45 Park Place, where a plane's landing gear assembly fell through the roof on 9/11, is now being used as a Muslim prayer space. For now it's just an annex for Tribeca's Al Farah mosque, but the group of Muslims who bought the building in July for $4.85 million hope to create a separate Islamic center there. Folks at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum seem excited about the idea, though Mayor Bloomberg, through a spokesman, gave the rather more lukewarm "if it's legal, the building owners have a right to do what they want" response. If it gets financing, the space, with 50,000 square feet of air rights, could support $150 million worth of development, on par with the 92nd Street Y. Nearby at the WTC, that's about enough money to finish off a few sidewalks and pick up some sidewalk furniture.
· Muslim Prayers Fuel Spiritual Rebuilding Project by Ground Zero [NYT]
· All World Trade Center coverage [Curbed]