The Islamic Cultural Center of New York started in the 1960s with a vision of housing a mosque, school, library, lecture hall, and museum in one institution. Thanks to over ten million dollars donated by the Saudi, Libyan, and Malaysian governments as well as dedicated fundraising efforts by the Center’s board, the plans came to fruition in 1991. The completed Center, which spans a block on Third Avenue with an entrance on 96th Street, brought traditional Islamic architecture into New York’s modern landscape and created a safe space for the city’s Muslim population to worship.
