By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
FINANCIAL DISTRICT — The group that wants to build a mosque on the site of the former Burlington Coat Factory building could face yet another obstacle: landmarking.
The Cordoba Initiative plans to tear down the five-story building at 45 Park Place, two blocks north of the World Trade Center site, to build a new $100 million, 13-story mosque and community center.
But the city Landmarks Preservation Commission is considering landmarking the 153-year-old building, which would prevent the group from moving forward with its plans.
This would be just the latest setback for a project that is still seeking funding and has sparked outrage among 9/11 family members, some Islamic leaders and other New Yorkers who say putting the mosque next to the World Trade Center site is a "mistake."
A Tea Party leader went so far as to call the proposed mosque a monument "for the worship of the terrorists' monkey-god."
TriBeCa community groups urged the LPC to protect 45 Park Place back in the 1980s, and the LPC held a public hearing on the building in September 1989, a spokeswoman said.
The LPC never voted to protect the building, but it remained “calendered,” which means the commission must be notified before anyone makes major changes to the structure.
The LPC plans to hold another hearing on 45 Park Place, but it has not been scheduled, the spokeswoman said. After the hearing, the LPC could vote to landmark the building or remove it from consideration. Alternatively, the site's designation could stay in limbo indefinitely, which would make it very difficult to alter or demolish.
An Italian Renaissance Palazzo style structure, 45 Park Place was built between 1857 and 1858 for a shipping firm, LPC said. The building was heavily damaged on 9/11 but the historic cast-iron storefront is largely intact.
LPC staff met with the Cordoba Initiative in March to discuss the building’s status, the LPC spokeswoman said.
The Cordoba Initiative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Community Board 1's Financial District Committee supports the project and the full board will give an advisory opinion on it next Tuesday night.
