I’m really looking forward to seeing it for myself.
Courtesy Abbas Yasin, Assad Yasin and Abizer Yasin
After nearly two decades of planning and construction, a vacant property near Buffalo Bayou has been transformed into a majestic, 150,000-square-foot Ismaili Center — a new cultural and religious landmark that is the first of its kind in the United States.
While the Ismaili Center, Houston will serve as a prayer venue, its representatives hope locals also embrace it as a peer to the likes of the Menil Collection, Rothko Chapel, Asia Society Texas, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The center plans to host art exhibitions, lectures and music recitals.
The center opened its doors Thursday morning in a grand ceremony, welcoming 500 guests and civic leaders.
“We’re here to recognize the Ismaili community’s greatness, and in doing so, we get to show the greatness of the city of Houston,” Mayor John Whitmire told the audience in a speech that praised the city’s diversity.
“This is a historic event,” Whitmire added. “Pause a moment and realize what we’re experiencing, what we’re witnessing.”
[…]
On Thursday, Aga Khan V ushered in his father’s dream with an official dedication ceremony at the center located on Allen Parkway and Montrose Boulevard. It’s the seventh Ismaili center in the world, and the first to be built in the U.S.
The event marked the Ismaili Center’s soft opening, with full public access beginning in December.
As the ceremony unfolded Thursday morning, dignitaries sat in silence and watched a live video feed of Aga Khan V’s motorcade arriving to the center’s well-manicured grounds. An announcer asked attendees to rise as the spiritual leader walked into an event center with Whitmire.
After the mayor’s speech, Aga Khan V addressed the crowd and said the mayor was “a tough act to follow.”
“I’ll start by saying that Houston is the friendliest city I’ve ever visited,” Aga Khan V said, sparking applause and laughter.
He said Houston was a “natural choice” for the first Ismaili center in the U.S. — the city is home to a significant number of Ismailis, he said, and Houston offers “friendship to people from all over the world.”
“This building may be called an Ismaili Center, but it is not here for Ismailis only,” he said. “It is for all Houstonians to use, a place open to all who seek knowledge, reflection and dialogue.”
See here for the previous entry. That’s a gift link, and there’s a ton of pictures to go along with this long story, so check it all out. I look forward to seeing what’s on their calendar and making a trip over there to see it all for myself. I drove past the empty lot and then the construction for many years, so there’s a lot of anticipation. Congrats to them for bringing this vision to its completion.