Why are Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon and more trying to save this Upper West Side church?
On the corner of West 86th and Amsterdam stands West-Park Presbyterian Church, a hulking 135-year-old Romanesque beauty with landmark status—and a demolition order looming over its red sandstone shoulders. The congregation, down to just 12 members, says they can't afford the $50 million-plus in necessary repairs, and the ink is dry on a $33 million real estate deal with a condo developer. Enter the Center at West Park, alongside a cast of Hollywood heavyweights.
The Center, a nonprofit arts group that's been renting space in the church for over a decade, was officially evicted last week. But its supporters, which include Upper West Side resident Mark Ruffalo and a slew of stars like Matt Damon, Christian Slater, Kyra Sedgwick and Kenneth Lonergan, aren't letting the curtain fall quietly.
'I started out in spaces like this as a young actor here in New York City,' Ruffalo told West Side Rag. 'And when I walked in here, it reminded me of that. My humble beginnings, where you could come and work out your talent, where it wasn't really expensive, where other people who are starting out just like you could meet and you can really figure out what you're doing.' Last fall, he and Damon staged a stripped-down benefit reading of Lonergan's This Is Our Youth to raise funds to save the building from becoming yet another 19-story glass box.
Despite eviction orders and losing multiple court battles, the Center is vowing to keep its programming going—off-site for now, but still firmly committed to preserving the church itself. Debby Hirshman, executive director of the Center, has said it's raised more than $5 million for critical repairs but claims the church has blocked the work from moving forward.
Meanwhile, the West-Park congregation has asked the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to strip the building's landmark status, citing financial hardship. Without that designation, demolition could move ahead, but that effort was put on hold in early 2024 when the church withdrew its application, citing ongoing legal disputes with its tenant. A new filing could come at any time.
The church argues the condo deal would include a 10,000-square-foot space they could use or lease out, effectively trading one performance space for another. But critics, including Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, say losing the Center and the building would be a major cultural blow.
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On the corner of West 86th and Amsterdam stands West-Park Presbyterian Church, a hulking 135-year-old Romanesque beauty with landmark status—and a demolition order looming over its red sandstone shoulders. The congregation, down to just 12 members, says they can't afford the $50 million-plus in necessary repairs, and the ink is dry on a $33 million real estate deal with a condo developer. Enter the Center at West Park, alongside a cast of Hollywood heavyweights. The Center, a nonprofit arts group that's been renting space in the church for over a decade, was officially evicted last week. But its supporters, which include Upper West Side resident Mark Ruffalo and a slew of stars like Matt Damon, Christian Slater, Kyra Sedgwick and Kenneth Lonergan, aren't letting the curtain fall quietly. 'I started out in spaces like this as a young actor here in New York City,' Ruffalo told West Side Rag. 'And when I walked in here, it reminded me of that. My humble beginnings, where you could come and work out your talent, where it wasn't really expensive, where other people who are starting out just like you could meet and you can really figure out what you're doing.' Last fall, he and Damon staged a stripped-down benefit reading of Lonergan's This Is Our Youth to raise funds to save the building from becoming yet another 19-story glass box. Despite eviction orders and losing multiple court battles, the Center is vowing to keep its programming going—off-site for now, but still firmly committed to preserving the church itself. Debby Hirshman, executive director of the Center, has said it's raised more than $5 million for critical repairs but claims the church has blocked the work from moving forward. Meanwhile, the West-Park congregation has asked the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to strip the building's landmark status, citing financial hardship. Without that designation, demolition could move ahead, but that effort was put on hold in early 2024 when the church withdrew its application, citing ongoing legal disputes with its tenant. A new filing could come at any time. The church argues the condo deal would include a 10,000-square-foot space they could use or lease out, effectively trading one performance space for another. But critics, including Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, say losing the Center and the building would be a major cultural blow.
