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"Ground Zero Mosque" Site Will Now Be...Luxury Condos
By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 26, 2015
Modified Sep 27, 2015
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 26, 2015
Modified Sep 27, 2015
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Remember the "Ground Zero Mosque," the long-in-the-works Muslim community center and prayer space located blocks from the World Trade Center site? Well something is finally going up at the location, and it's exactly what you think it is (assuming you read the headline): luxury condos.
Last we heard about the site in 2014, developer Sharif El-Gamal said that instead of a $100 million, 15-story community center and prayer space, he planned to build a smaller, three-story museum "dedicated to exploring the faith of Islam and its arts and culture." This came after several years of heated controversy around his Park 51 plan, which was shelved in 2011 after it turned into a lightning rod for conservative and anti-Muslim groups, as well as some families of 9/11 victims.
But now, according to Bloomberg Business, El-Gamal’s Soho Properties has proposed a 667-foot condominium tower at 45 Park Place; instead of a 15-story community center, it will include "at least 15 full-floor units of 3,200 to 3,700 square feet (297 to 344 square meters), and average prices higher than $3,000 a square foot."
"The tower is going to be a market-maker," El-Gamal told Bloomberg. "We’ve perfected a building that’s really going to share in a unique moment."
For what it's worth, El-Gamal still plans to install that smaller three-story museum adjacent to the tower, to be designed by architect Jean Nouvel (he designed this luxury condo building). It will be connected to the skyscraper via a public plaza. This is all possible because Soho Properties has acquired three plots on Park Place adjacent to the initial site. "Every day that we’ve been waiting, the market has been getting stronger and showing incredible signs of resilience," El-Gamal added. "The appreciation and absorption this market is showing is unprecedented."
El-Gamal hopes to break ground before the end of the year, with sales starting in early 2016. The plans have yet to be approved by the state attorney general’s office.
Tagged
condos
ground zero mosque
manhattan
park 51
sharif el-gamal
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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