Imagine being told that the home you own is a "historic landmark" by some government bureaucrat -- which means you can't build a new, much-needed addition on the back of the house to add another bedroom.
A building that is 152 years old near ground zero dates back before the Civil War...
This is the kind of thing for which historic preservation laws were intended. I live in an “historic district” in my town, and I agree that the restrictions on private dwellings can sometimes be annoying.
However, this is a commercial building that actually is historically important (aside from the fact that I used to buy coats there a few years back!), one which did add to the character of its neighborhood, and one that has added modern significance that would be completely transgressed and even mocked by being turned to a new use as a mosque or Islamic center.
And Bloomberg definitely did collude to prevent these issues from even getting a serious airing before the landmarks commission and to force the decision he wanted. I don’t know why he is so wedded to Muslims.