However, the board of trustees later aspired to build a new larger center in a way suiting its prestigious position in the community, and to be one of the landmarks of New York City.

After years of delays which included raising funds from Muslim countries, a prolonged process of relocating tenants, and the eventual demolition of the buildings on the site; construction of the Islamic Cultural Center began in October 1984.

The precise calculation of the direction from New York to Mecca was based on the great circle that produces the shortest distance between the two cities.

The building also consists of six infill panels containing slabs of pink granite with glass beading placed in front of welded steel tubes.

The central aspect of the building is the dome, where it is three stacked layers of frames and takes the shape of a hemisphere.

Another essential part about the crown is that even though the masjid interior and exterior are designed very differently, the mosque's dome is made of copper, such as the Statue of Liberty located in New York.

When this mosque was built, it created a huge turning point for the residing Muslim people living in New York.

This turning point was when they represented a considerable aspect of the Muslim population consisting of Turkish, Lebanese, Yemeni, Pakistani, and American origin.

[citation needed] Imam Abu-Namous engaged in a series of interfaith dialogues with prominent Muslim leaders and rabbis.