Danny Goldfield Photography

New York Times Multimedia

Link to New York Times Multimedia piece

From the Times: Park51, still an embryonic institution, is now housed in a bare-bones former Burlington Coat Factory building that was hit by falling debris on 9/11. Entering, “even the most brave New Yorker might be a little bit anxious,” Mr. Goldfield said, “whether because of noisy controversy or a simple lack of familiarity with Muslims.”  …   His message, “It’s O.K. if you’re a little nervous. It’s O.K. if you don’t know what’s inside.”

“Their perseverance is one of the reasons I want to be a part of this,” Mr. Goldfield said of Park51′s organizers. “They became a cultural and political punching bag. I saw them fall apart and then pick themselves up and dust themselves off and move on.”

Does he think the project will survive and the organizers will raise enough money to realize their ambitions? When asked, he paused, took a breath and said, “I’m a very optimistic person.”

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