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Forget The "Ground Zero Mosque," How About "Soho House For Muslims"?
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 19, 2011
Modified Oct 19, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 19, 2011
Modified Oct 19, 2011
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The so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" has problems, and not just in the minds of those patriots patriots fighting its theoretical existence. The developer behind the project is not only ensnared in a bitter rent dispute with Con Ed, which owns the property on Park Place, but he's also been missing tax payments. The Daily News reports that developer Sharif el-Gamal missed a scheduled $30,000 property tax payment that was due on October 3rd. And after reporters asked him about it, he allegedly forwarded doctored receipts to prove that he paid up on the 5th. But the city Finance Department told the News the payment "was actually made yesterday at 3:55 p.m.—roughly half an hour after Gamal claimed he'd already paid."
El-Gamal says he simply forwarded along the information his employee gave him, but it certainly appears that he tried to pull a fast one on the News. To his credit, he has been candid about the difficulties he's faced raising the money for the project, and he doesn't even had an architect. "One thing that I will say is that everybody is endorsing this project but people are afraid to actually… put money into the project because of the controversy," he tells the Wall Street Journal.
For that reason, el-Gamal is going commercial. The mosque and community center will still be part of whatever gets built, but not the focal point. Among the possibilities under consideration, he tells the Journal, starting a Soho House for Muslims, "similar to the exclusive private members' club and hotel with locations across the world. All options are on the table," says el-Gamal. "We're looking at all the different potential uses**. We could do anything there. We're sitting on a very valuable piece of real estate."** Two words, el-Gamal: SHAKE SHACK.
Tagged
ground zero
ground zero mosque
park51
sharif el-gamal
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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