Dexter Linwood in Detroit in Wayne County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Temple No. 1 / Masjid Wali Muhammad
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, May 11, 2021
1. Temple No. 1 / Masjid Wali Muhammad Marker
Side 1
The Workman’s Circle, a Jewish Labor Fraternity, erected this building in 1940. Temple No. 1 of the Nation of Islam purchased it in the 1950s. By then, the Nation of Islam, led by the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, had established temples in major cities throughout the United States. During the Civil Rights era, the Nation of Islam focused on Black nationalism and self-empowerment. This building served as the temple, a community center, a school, and Detroit headquarters. Malcolm X Shabazz was one of the ministers here before he left the Nation of Islam in 1964.
After the death of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad in 1975, Imam Warith Deen Mohammed reorganized the Nation of Islam to become a Sunni Islamic Community. The congregation of Temple No. 1 followed his embrace of Universal Islam. The previously exclusively black congregation was opened to all believers. In 1976 Temple No. 1 was rededicated as a masjid (mosque) and renamed World Community of al-Islam in the West. In 2013, Detroit designated Masjid Wali Muhammad as a local historic district.
Erected 2018 by Michigan Historical Commission - Michigan History Center. (Marker Number L2307.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these
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Location. 42° 22.906′ N, 83° 6.869′ W. Marker is in Detroit, Michigan, in Wayne County. It is in Dexter Linwood. Marker is at the intersection of Linwood Street and Burlingame Street, on the right when traveling south on Linwood Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11529 Linwood St, Detroit MI 48206, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Detroit July 1967 (approx. 0.8 miles away); James Smith House (approx. one mile away); Duane Doty School (approx. 1.2 miles away); Henry Ford House (approx. 1½ miles away); Central Woodward Christian Church (approx. 1.7 miles away); North Woodward Avenue Congregational Church (approx. 1.8 miles away); Motown (approx. 1.8 miles away); Orsel McGhee House (approx. 1.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Detroit.
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, May 11, 2021
2. Temple No. 1 / Masjid Wali Muhammad Marker
Side 2
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, May 11, 2021
3. Temple No. 1 / Masjid Wali Muhammad Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 2,470 times since then and 648 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 10, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
