Islamic museum proposed for site near Ground Zero
A property developer who caused a public outcry in 2010 with plans to build a mosque and Muslim community center near the World Trade Center, now wants to open a smaller Islamic museum on the same site.
A spokesman for Sharif El-Gamal said the plans are for a three-story museum "dedicated to exploring the faith of Islam and its arts and culture."
According to The New York Times, French architect Jean Nouvel has been commissioned to design the building located two blocks from the former World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.
Nouvel is a 2008 winner of the Pritzker Prize for architecture.
The museum will be a 5,000 square feet three-story structure with a public green space and will be an "important addition to the neighborhood and to New York City’s arts and cultural community," according to a statement.
With this scaled down proposal, El-Gamal does not expect a public backlash to the extent of the one faced in 2010.
He has filed plans with the Buildings Department and had held talks with elected officials, local community members and academics, spokesman Hank Sheinkopf said.
Current tenant non-profit organization Parks51, an interfaith community center set up by Arab Americans, will continue using the building after the project is complete.
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