An almost-20-year saga is drawing to a close. I’m excited to see what the end result is.
What once was there
Work has resumed on the massive Ismaili Center near Buffalo Bayou after the death of the Aga Khan IV, the leader of the world’s millions of Shia Ismaili Muslims known for his civic service in Houston.
Considered one of the globe’s wealthiest religious leaders, the Aga Khan IV—born Prince Karim Al-Hussaini—died last week at his home in Lisbon. He was 88. The next day, his son, Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini, was named to succeed him as the Aga Khan V, the 50th hereditary Imam of a lineage that claimed descent from the Prophet Muhammed.
While mourning the death of their imam and celebrating their new leader, Houston representatives from the Ismaili Council for the U.S.A said that they expect to stick to schedule; they still plan to finish the Ismaili Center this year, and new construction will include prayer spaces and host art exhibitions, concerts and interfaith lectures.
Several years ago, the Aga Khan IV led the metro’s Ismaili Muslim community to begin construction on the five-story marbled center towering 72 feet over its 11 acres of land near Buffalo Bayou. Now, the Aga Khan V is expected to follow through with the plans to construct the first Ismaili Center in the U.S. The center would be the seventh of its kind in the world.
“We don’t anticipate any delay in the opening of the center due to the passing of His Highness Prince Karim and the accession of Prince Rahim,” said Omar Samji, a spokesperson for the Ismaili Council, during an interview last week. “This is the project that is nearly completed, and it’s on schedule to be complete by the end of 2025.”
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The Ismaili Center is a “gift” to Houston, the home of “tens of thousands” of Ismaili Muslims, said Farah Lalani, another Ismaili Council spokesperson. The Houston Chronicle has estimated that the metro has about 40,000 Ismaili Muslims who live in a region boasting one of the largest Muslim populations in Texas and in the U.S. (The Houston metro has roughly 500,000 Muslims, according to the Council on American Islamic Relations.)
The concept for the Ismaili Center dates back to 2006 when the Aga Khan Foundation paid a non-disclosed amount to buy land along Allen Parkway, replacing the historic Robinson Warehouse. The foundation is part of the Aga Khan Development Network.
Former Houston Mayor Bill White recognized the foundation for partnering on the “Tolerance” project in 2011. Donors (including members of the Ismaili community) funded seven stainless-steel, 10-foot-tall human statues to the art installation as a symbol of harmony along Allen Parkway, just across the road from the future Ismaili Center. The center, White said at the time, “will be an architectural statement and a place of peace, harmony, and welcome.”
In 2021, Ismaili Council President Al-Karim Alidina revealed plans for the center as construction began. U.K.-based firm Farshid Moussavi Architecture designed the structure, and Thomas Woltz of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, known for his work on Memorial Park in Houston, crafted its gardens. In 2023, former Mayor Sylvester Turner joined Prince Amyn Aga Khan, the younger brother of the late Aga Khan IV, at an on-site ceremony to recognize the progress of the construction. The mayor expressed support for the center and offered the key to the city to the Aga Khan IV through his brother as a symbol of support.
See here for my previous update, and click the article for a picture of what it looks like now. While the architect for this project was hired in early 2019, construction didn’t start until almost three years later. Indeed, as this story notes, the Aga Khan Foundation has owned the site since 2006, where the old Robinson Warehouse once stood. I took pictures of its demise over the next couple of months, and then it stood empty for so long that people complained about it, having forgotten that there was a purpose planned for it. It just took forever for it to happen. And now they’re saying it will be done by the end of this year. I’m a little dizzy at the thought, but I cannot wait to see it in its newfound glory.