Islamic Center of New Mexico

In the early 1970s, the first Muslim community in Albuquerque held their Juma' services at the University of New Mexico Chapel, and later in the back of a Muslim businessman's store. The Islamic Center of New Mexico (ICNM), the first mosque in Albuquerque, opened in December 1986. That building was subsequently demolished and replaced with a new mosque that opened in October 2006. This record is for the extant ICNM building that opened in 2006. Information about the demolished ICNM building is also available on Archnet. The original ICNM building had no traditional elements of Islamic architecture, and the design was somewhat controversial among some members of the congregation. Ultimately, however, it was the size of the mosque that led it to be replaced: the old building could accommodate 250 people, and this new Center was planned to hold 600. The current ICNM building, located on the same site as the old building, was designed by the Albuquerque-based architect Tafazzul Hussain and built by Afra Construction & Design. It is a one-story L-shaped structure faced in stucco. The entrance court at the front of the building is framed on two sides by an arched arcade with stone accents. There is an attached minaret on the roof, as well as a green-colored central dome.Sources:Everline, Theresa. "Made in America: An MIT scholar's study of the architecture of American mosques reveals a Muslim community in search of itself." Boston Globe, August 15, 2004. Accessed April 3, 2015. http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2004/08/15/made_in_america?pg=full.Islamic Center of New Mexico. "About Us." Accessed April 3, 2015. http://www.icnm-abq.org/pages.php?pageid=18§ionid=2.