Albanian Islamic Center
History
The Albanian Islamic Center in harper woods was founded by Imam Vehbi Ismail in 1962 and celebrated its grand opening on November 3, 1963.
The mosque served as the first permanent home of the Albanian American Moslem Society, which had been founded by Imam Ismail in 1949 and had previously met at the International Institute of Detroit, briefly with the American Moslem Society in Dearborn, and in a former Armenian church on Hamilton Avenue.
Today, the mosque serves the Albanian community that has been well established in the Detroit since the 1940s, as well as new Muslim immigrants from the Balkans and other regions of the Islamic world.
Urban and Architectural
The center boasts a distinctive Balkan-style dome and minaret. With a prayer area, offices, large social hall, classrooms, and kitchen, the mosque serves an old Albanian American community (already well established in the 1940s) and new Muslim immigrants from Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, and other Balkan countries.
the mosque was designed by the American architect Frank Beymer,and makes a clear and unambiguous statement of its national character in its Ottoman exterior, represented by its sleek arches, dome and color scheme.
Although all Muslims are welcome there, its facade proclaims the identity of its original founders, the Albanian Muslim immigrants of Michigan.
The building is a long, low rectangle faced in brick, with a copper-colored dome over the entrance and the minaret to its left. The facade was not completed until 1975, and the minaret was also added at that time. Inside, there is a relatively small prayer hall, a large multipurpose social hall, a kitchen, classrooms, and office space. It is an example of what Omar Khalidi called "imported" mosque design, emboding a traditional design imported from the Islamic world.
Description
The center provides weekend religious instruction in Arabic, Albanian, and English along with other educational and service programs. The Albanian Islamic Center is open to Muslims from all ethnic backgrounds, but immigrants from Europe and their descendants form its core membership and predominate on its board. The mosque is unusual for its location in Detroit's eastern suburbs.
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Drawings
Map
History
The Albanian Islamic Center in harper woods was founded by Imam Vehbi Ismail in 1962 and celebrated its grand opening on November 3, 1963.
The mosque served as the first permanent home of the Albanian American Moslem Society, which had been founded by Imam Ismail in 1949 and had previously met at the International Institute of Detroit, briefly with the American Moslem Society in Dearborn, and in a former Armenian church on Hamilton Avenue.
Today, the mosque serves the Albanian community that has been well established in the Detroit since the 1940s, as well as new Muslim immigrants from the Balkans and other regions of the Islamic world.
Urban and Architectural
The center boasts a distinctive Balkan-style dome and minaret. With a prayer area, offices, large social hall, classrooms, and kitchen, the mosque serves an old Albanian American community (already well established in the 1940s) and new Muslim immigrants from Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, and other Balkan countries.
the mosque was designed by the American architect Frank Beymer,and makes a clear and unambiguous statement of its national character in its Ottoman exterior, represented by its sleek arches, dome and color scheme.
Although all Muslims are welcome there, its facade proclaims the identity of its original founders, the Albanian Muslim immigrants of Michigan.
The building is a long, low rectangle faced in brick, with a copper-colored dome over the entrance and the minaret to its left. The facade was not completed until 1975, and the minaret was also added at that time. Inside, there is a relatively small prayer hall, a large multipurpose social hall, a kitchen, classrooms, and office space. It is an example of what Omar Khalidi called "imported" mosque design, emboding a traditional design imported from the Islamic world.
Description
The center provides weekend religious instruction in Arabic, Albanian, and English along with other educational and service programs. The Albanian Islamic Center is open to Muslims from all ethnic backgrounds, but immigrants from Europe and their descendants form its core membership and predominate on its board. The mosque is unusual for its location in Detroit's eastern suburbs.