New York ISKCON Moves to Manhattan

A long-awaited move across the East River is taking Lord Krsna's New York devotees from two Brooklyn Heights brownstones to a twelve-story temple near Columbus Circle in Manhattan. The center at 340 West Fifty-fifth Street has 300 rooms (including offices), an exhibition hall, a restaurant, and a 250-seat theater. On one floor is a magnificent temple room with a beautiful altar of marble and onyx.

Steady growth over the past nine years has gradually taken the New York center, ISKCON's first, from a one-room storefront on the Lower East Side to this location within walking distance of Broadway, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Fifth Avenue.

Public relations director Pancaratna dasa said, "Being located in the communications hub of the world is a great advantage for broadcasting the Lord's message more effectively." Official opening day is set for Sunday, November 9 (the festival of Govardhana Pūja).