NYC Landmark Board Rejects Landmarking For Controversial Islamic Center Site

New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission this morning paved the way for construction of a controversial Islamic Center  and mosque two blocks from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.  According to CNN, the Commission voted 9-0 against landmark status for a building that developers plan to demolish to make room for the planned Center. Opponents of the mosque saw landmark status as a way of preventing the construction because it would have barred developers from demolishing or significantly altering the exterior of the building.  New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other city leaders support the building of the Islamic Center which is designed to show the face of moderate Islam. Some other politicians, however, have turned the proposal into a political issue, calling its location a provocation. (See prior posting.)