Ground Zero Mosque Tripped Up By Landmark Status

NEW YORK — New York City officials say a plan to tear down a building and put up a mosque near the World Trade Center site will need the approval of a commission that protects landmarks.

They say the building Muslim groups plan to tear down to make room for the mosque and a cultural center is historically and architecturally significant. The building was constructed in the 1850s in the Italian Renaissance palazzo style and is noteworthy for its cast-iron storefront.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission is expected to hold a hearing to determine whether to preserve the lower Manhattan building, which is just blocks from ground zero.

The mosque plan has been opposed by Sept. 11 victims' families and tea party activists.

A community board plans to vote Tuesday on whether to support the project.

Comments

[Rhoda Ochoa]

10:33 PM on 05/31/2010

I can't believe that some people don't see how incredibly insensitive this is. If Islam is a religion of peace, let its leadership select a location without the obvious emotional baggage this one has. Ugh, "emotional baggage" doesn't even cut it - it's still a gaping, bleeding wound. Disgusting.

[Rhoda Ochoa]

10:53 PM on 05/31/2010

(and yes, I do realize that it's not "on" the site, just very, very close to it) - find another spot and it's fine, thanks.

[dee4sffig]

02:31 PM on 05/31/2010

I am open to mosques. Anyone ask them why they chose that spot? Let's just say no. Pick another property. We should redline the area and keep out all religious affiliates.

[OilyGirl]

12:21 PM on 05/29/2010

This is a terrible idea. No mosque on Ground Zero.. come on New Yorkers, show some chutzpah.
Why no mosque on ground zero? You have to look at it in Arabic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-UDl3j8WZQ

[Stefan Zeiss]

09:49 PM on 05/25/2010

I wonder if the proponents of the Ground Zero Cordova Mosque would favor the building a Catholic Church in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia?? Probably not. But hypocrisy is just part of religious doctrine with radical Islamists and Liberals.

[Tony Lunchmeat]

07:43 AM on 05/26/2010

That's not the question. The question is whether they would support a Catholic Church on THIS site. If so, then there is no Constitutional basis for denying this mosque.

[Stefan Zeiss]

08:57 AM on 05/26/2010

What is good for the Goose is good for the Gander. Of course every Lib in town is going be hell bent on building this huge Mosque and thus thumbing the families of the victims by these blood thirsty radicals.

[donbsea]

01:10 PM on 05/26/2010

what are you talking about? "...hypocrisy is just part of religious doctrine w/ radical Islamists AND LIBERALS." you're nuts.

[bluguy8]

07:56 PM on 05/25/2010

Just the fact that money from Islamuc countries is going to be used to build the Mosque isn't going over well in Ny

[Balzac]

07:32 PM on 05/25/2010

From the article: "The building was constructed in the 1850s in the Italian Renaissance palazzo style and is noteworthy for its cast-iron storefront."

Sounds like an interesting building. Maybe it's worth preserving. Those who oppose the mosque might not be quite so upset if the WTC site weren't still just a pit, and the mosque weren't going to be built in such close proximity to this pit.

The Islamic religion is not the origin of terrorism in general, nor can the terrorists groups originating from Islamic culture claim to represent Islam by themselves.

The bid to build this mosque has been complicated by the effort to preserve this building from 1850. People have a lot to talk about. Probably nothing will happen quickly. Now what about that WTC site? How's it coming along?

[Voting citizen]

07:30 PM on 05/25/2010

I'm no tea bagger but I am so against this plan the Muslims have. There is no end to the hurt this "religion" puts upon people. Now this. Tell them no...no...no...there will be no building here. What made them think this was a good idea??? Like the gold dome in Jerusalem..that shouldn't be there either. There is no end to their hurt.

[StellaFox]

11:26 AM on 05/25/2010

Hmm. I assumed this new building was going in an empty space, not that a historic building already functioning was going to be torn down, and replaced.

This is just bad all around...

[landofopportunity]

10:19 AM on 05/25/2010

You CANNOT come to our country, kill thousands of innocent men, women and children and then build a mosque next door.

[Tony Lunchmeat]

07:44 AM on 05/26/2010

Actually, yes, they can. It's called the First Amendment. Pretty important thing, you know?

[AverageJose007]

09:10 AM on 05/25/2010

Those who have ears do not hear.
Those who have eyes cannot see.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2054258/posts

Islam is not a peaceful religion.

[landofopportunity]

11:05 AM on 05/25/2010

Agreed and Fanned!
it is a religion from hell and it teaches terrorism, atrocity against all non-muslims and oppression against women.

[Joseline]

12:29 AM on 05/30/2010

Yes they also eat babies!!

[robjh1]

08:51 AM on 05/25/2010

This should not be built near the center. It just to controversy and will cause all types of problems. Having mosque anywhere right now is a hot topic (the same with churches, synagogues etc). But because of 9/11 this mosque must not go up. Sorry.

[landofopportunity]

08:03 AM on 05/25/2010

All our politicians, Bush and Obama included, are slaves to the terrorists’ kings of Saudi Arabia.
9-11 terrorists came from UAE and we ended up attacking Afghanistan and Iraq because we dare not affect payroll of our corrupt politicians from the Saudi Muslim terrorists.

Wasn't it enough that the Muslim terrorists blew up the world trade center and killed over 5,000 innocent people?
&
now the Muslims want to build a mosque there to forever remind us that what they did to us on 9-11?
and
To make it easy so that they can simply walk to the new building and blow it up again?

I am a New Yorker. I saw the plane stuck in the world trade center; I saw innocent men and women jumping out of the burning windows several hundred feet below to their painful and unfortunate deaths. Those innocent men and women were mothers, fathers, daughters, wives and bread winners. Thousands of poor kids became orphans that unfortunate day because of the same exact Muslims who now want to mock us by building a mosque there. A Muslim mosque is the biggest symbol of terrorism against the United States of America and should NEVER be allowed anywhere on the US soil much less close to the 9-11 site.

I do not want to see this mosque anywhere close to that area. In fact, I don’t want to see a mosque anywhere in New York or the entire USA.

[BlueFloyd]

08:39 AM on 05/25/2010

landofopportunity

....for all but muslims, eh?

[landofopportunity]

10:04 AM on 05/25/2010

Absolutely.
the land of opportunity for all but the Muslims, most of whom are terrorists or supporters of terrorism anyway.
You CANNOT come to our country, kill thousands of innocent men, women and children and then build a mosque next door.

[BlueFloyd]

08:41 AM on 05/25/2010

i'm a new yorker, too. i witnessed that horror too. i'm sure you would be ok with a church built there, no? how about a synagogue? why are you such a bigot?

[JPalka]

09:49 AM on 05/25/2010

Do you recognize the legitimacy in opposing it of the families that lost somebody in the attack?

BTW, they guy up did not mention any alternative building there. You put words in his "text" so you can accuse him for them?

[Gwiwer]

07:31 AM on 05/25/2010

I really hope that building gets protected and is prevented from being torn down. I love old buildings and I loathe the way that American society tends to want to tear down any building over 30 years old. That kind of attitude has rendered huge chunks of our cities bland wastelands of boring, sterile concrete and cinder block structures with no aesthetic value or cultural significance. If they want to turn it into a mosque, I'm all for it as long as they don't alter the building too much.

[Adam Atheist]

02:42 AM on 05/25/2010

aaah good ole Religion, creating problems one day at a time.
Anyways as a New Yorker and an Atheist, we gotta respect Freedom of Religion. If lawfully they are not breaking any laws and pass all criteria, then they should be allowed to build their mosque.

The day you deny one their religious right, that is the day the freedom of religion is no longer valid

[andrews1325]

09:16 PM on 06/04/2010

I do agree with the whole freedom of speech thing. It is very important that our country live up to wht makes us americans but nowhere does it say that we have to let them build a mosque or church anywhere they want they have to be built with an city limits by an approval by the cuty or county. now if they want to go down to ground zero and do what ever they want to do they can and no one can say anything to them.

[muscleboundH]

02:36 AM on 05/25/2010

It's too bad a beautiful old building will be torn down for yet another building devoted to make-believe and pretend B.S.

Don't we have enough tax exempt buildings devoted to make-believe already? And why isn't Disneyland tax exempt! They have the best message and THE BEST make believe stuff EVER.

[Joseline]

12:33 AM on 05/30/2010

I think they can actually work out a plan to preserve the building. It'd be a shame if they tore it down and built something entirely new. However, they structure might not be good anymore...I'm sure all these things are solvable.