After hosting worship in an office building just outside the Wayne Willowbrook Mall for seven years, the Islamic Center of Essex County will have a masjid in Essex County.
The Islamic Center closed Friday on the $2 million sale of the approximately 7,000-square-foot building that until last month housed the First Lutheran Church of Montclair, according to Hamdy Emara, a realtor associate with Jordan Baris Realty in West Orange, representing the Islamic Center. The church, which boasts 130 years in the town across two locations, had closed amid dwindling membership.
The Islamic Center purchased the property for about 25% above the $1.599 million asking price, said Emara, who is a member of the masjid. Earlier this year, the Islamic Center launched a fundraiser after announcing that it was under contract to buy the property.
‘Absolutely Gorgeous’
Eight religious institutions from across North Jersey bid on the 1.34-acre property with 37 parking spaces at 153 Park St., said Ceil Adkins, of Century 21 Venture Real Estate in Montclair, who represented First Lutheran Church. Congregations of various faiths reached out, Adkins said…