If the Landmarks Preservation Commission does not declare the former Burlington Coat Factory Building at 45 Park Place in Lower Manhattan a landmark, "traditional Islamic architecture probably won't be the focus of the new building that will replace, real estate developer Sharif El-Gamal told Anton Troianovski of The Wall Street Journal today.

The project was the subject of a long and raucous hearing before the commission July 13 was described by the commission as a "fine example of the Italian Renaissance inspired palazzo that flourished in the former textile and dry goods district on and around Broadway near City Hall Park.

A group known as the Cordoba House Initiative acquired the property recently and wants to demolish and erect a Muslim Center. It had been partially damaged in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and many speakers at the hearing argued for its designation as a landmark because loved ones they had lost in the terrorist attacks at Ground Zero and one man said he lost 40 percent of his lungs in the attack.

Shelly Friedman, the attorney for the owner, reminded the commission that it had first been considered for inclusion in an historic district in 1989 and had not been found worthy of inclusion and that, more recently, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer were in agreement that it was not worthy of a such a designation architecture.

The landmarks committee of Community Board 1, however, 1 recently voted not to recommend its landmark designation but one of the speakers argued that the landmarks commission should not take a vote until after the full board votes July 27.

"It's definitely going to be an expression of New York and of America," Mr. El-Gamal told The Journal in an interview Friday, adding that wanted the project, which is known now as Park51, to be "something energy efficient and transparent, probably with a glass facade.

Mr. El-Gamal said he had not yet hired an architect although he indicated he admired the design of two recent projects in the city: the Cooper Union academic building designed by Morphosis and the office tower at 7 World Trade Center designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill for Silverstein Properties.

The existing building at the site was partially damaged in the terrorist attacks but still retains much of its historical fabric, cornice and fire escapes, according to the commission, including its original ground-floor Corinthian colonnade cast by Daniel D. Badger & Company.

Mayor Bloomberg has indicated he is against a suggestion by Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rick Lazio that an investigation be launched into who will pay for the $100 million mosque and according to an article last week by David Seifman in The New York Post said "I don't think we're going to go and start investigating funding sources for religious organizations or vetting people who preach, pray, in religious organizations.'"

Mr. Lazio had attended the commission's hearing and repeated his suggestion that the mosque's funding be examined.

The commission will keep its record on the proposed designation open and its decision is not expected for a few weeks.