Islamic Cultural Center of New York
1711 3rd Avenue | East Harlem | built 1987
Open on the map5 entries
The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.
Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.
- 1984
Construction begins on an Islamic center with a mosque rotated 29 degrees to face Mecca
Construction of the Islamic Cultural Center begins in October 1984, after years of fundraising, relocating tenants and demolishing the old buildings on the site. The mosque is turned 29 degrees from Manhattan's street grid so that its mihrab faces Mecca. Its dome is made of copper.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1987
Kuwait-led United Nations delegations commission SOM to design the city's first purpose-built mosque
In 1987 representatives of the Muslim member states of the United Nations, led by Kuwait, hired Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to design the city's first purpose-built mosque. They wanted a religious and cultural center for the city and for UN delegates that suited its Manhattan location while bringing something original to its architecture. SOM urged the large client group to blend classical Islamic ideas with contemporary design, stressing geometry, abstraction and natural light.
Source: som.com
- 1987
Work on the mosque itself begins, funded by more than 46 Muslim countries
Construction of the mosque begins on May 28, 1987, the day that marks the end of Ramadan. The minaret's cornerstone is laid on September 26, 1988, and the Gulf War later delays the work. More than 46 Muslim countries contribute toward the $17 million cost.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1988
The cornerstone of the mosque's minaret is laid
On September 26, 1988, the foundation stone of the minaret was set, about sixteen months after work on the mosque itself began. The center had been planned as more than a prayer hall: the overall project also included a school, a library, a museum, and a hall for lectures. The project had earlier endured years of delay while money was raised from Muslim countries, tenants were relocated and the buildings on the site were demolished.
“The cornerstone of the minaret was laid on September 26, 1988.”
Source: Wikipedia
- 1991
The Islamic Cultural Center opens in time for Eid ul-Fitr
The mosque opens on April 15, 1991, for the feast of Eid ul-Fitr. It is the first purpose-built mosque in New York. The congregation's earlier home was a townhouse at 1 Riverside Drive, which it still uses as a satellite location.
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- Islamic Cultural Center of New YorkWikipedia
Nearby
- El Barrio's Artspace PS109215 East 99th Street | 5 entries
- St. Francis de Sales Church135 East 96th Street | 3 entries
- Metropolitan Hospital Center1900 2nd Avenue | 4 entries
- 179 East 93rd Street3 entries
- Trevor Day School312 East 95th Street | 4 entries
- Squadron A Armory71 East 94th Street | 10 entries