I recall reading some years back that this group had built an exact replica of their shabby Brooklyn warehouse synagogue somewhere out in the Israeli desert, so that the Messiah (meaning Schneerson, of course) would feel "at home" when he returned. Sounded mighty kooky to me, albeit in a harmless way. But from this article it sounds as if the leadership of the group is very tolerant of its kookier subsets, so perhaps it was just one of those subsets, rather than top leadership, that was behind the warehouse replica project.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson passed away on June 12, 1994, at the age of ninety-two. His death came two years after he suffered a serious stroke. An exact replica of his house on 770 Eastern Parkway was constructed in Israel, so that if he were to ever make the trip, he would feel at home.
This house is very visible from the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. I've seen it
