Former Burlington Coat Factory Building

 place with historical importance, 1850s construction, historical layer / disappeared object

Former Burlington Coat Factory Building AKA "Cordoba House" AKA Proposed "Ground Zero Mosque" (sic ---organizers say it won't be a mosque per se) AKA Proposed "Ground Zero Islamic Center" ---called by current owners Park51.

Built in 1858 as a typical lofted dry goods warehouse for the nearby Hudson River piers, 45-47 Park Place passed through a number of roles until finally being used as a Burlington Coat Factory in the 1980's. Remaining fairly unremarkable through the close of the 20th century, the building took its place in history on the morning of September 11th, 2001 when debris from United Airlines 175's impact with 2 World Trade Center, most notably the plane's Starboard landing gear crashed through the roof and several floors of the structure.

Sealed off as a crime scene and eventually declared unsafe for use until repaired, Burlington Coat Factory ceased operations at the site and left it in caretaker status with its owners, who gradually repaired the building. Once repaired, the vacant building was selected by two established Muslim Community organizations as a potential site for a Mosque for their growing congregations, which were exceeding the available space both groups had at their respective locations just South of the World Trade Center Site.

When formal plans were released to build a 13-story Islamic Mosque and cultural center on the site after the removal of the existing structure, a bitter public, political and religious battle ensued. With the local community board voting overwhelmingly to deny the building Landmark status in the summer of 2010, the path was clear for the existing building to be demolished, however, several lawmakers vowed to block the construction through legal means.

(image note: not-for-profit journalistic / scholarly use CC terms)