A group that has proposed an Islamic center for the basement of the former Medtronic Inc. headquarters in St. Anthony has purchased the building for $1.9 million.

The proposal had been rejected in June by the St. Anthony City Council, which claimed that a religious center was incompatible with the building's light-industrial zoning. That came after a meeting where some St. Anthony residents expressed opposition to the project and made disparaging remarks about the Muslim faith.

However, in a certificate of real estate value processed recently in Hennepin County, a group called the Abu-Huraira Islamic Center purchased the building on Aug. 23, with a down payment of $400,000. The seller of the building at 3055 Old Highway 8 was the St. Anthony Business Center Corp., an entity reportedly related to fallen real estate developer Jeffrey Wirth.

Ferdinand Peters, a St. Paul attorney representing the group, said Thursday that “none of their plans have changed,” regarding the center. When asked how that will be accomplished, given the city council’s action in June, he said the group is “assessing ways to do that.” He declined to offer further details.

Janet Moore • 612-673-7752