The Mother Mosque of America - Cedar Rapids, Iowa
This building, once known as The Rose of Fraternity Lodge and now also called the Islamic Cultural & Heritage Center, dates back to 1934 when it was unveiled as a one-story, wooden-framed building created in the Prairie Schoolhouse style to serve as both mosque and social center. It remains significant — and is on the National Register of Historic Places — for being the first building designed and constructed as a house of worship for Muslims in America.
Washington National Cathedral - Washington, D.C.
The cathedral of the Episcopal Church, officially named The Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, is another neo-Gothic treasure. It’s the sixth-largest cathedral in the world and was constructed over an 83-year period. Its website notes it’s an “architectural masterpiece designed to point eyes and hearts toward things above,” a modern interpretation of 14th century English gothic style.
