The Center for Park West raised $323K from a Two-Night Benefit But Will It Be Enough?
A two-night benefit in mid-November supported by A-List celebrities raised over $320,000. But it is not clear if that will be enough to save the ailing West Park Presbyterian Church which needs extensive repairs. The shrinking congregation says they can’t afford it and want to sell to a developer, a move the community arts group Center of West Park is fighting.
| 01 Dec 2023 | 06:20
The crumbling façade of West Side Presbyterian Church has necessitated scaffolding sheds to be placed around the building for years. The few people left in the congregation say repairs are beyond their ability to pay and want to sell the landmarked 160-year-old church. Photo: nylandmarks.org
At a Community zoom led by Executive Director for the Center for Park West, Debby Hirshman, she details that the celebrity heavy benefit performances on November 16 and 17 brought in $323,000, but more is needed (
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The Center for Park West drew a crowd of 700 people to two celebrity heavy entertainment events that raised over $323,000 that the not for profit group wants to use to make emergency repairs to the beleaguered West Park Presbyterian Church.
The shrinking congregation of the West Park Presbyterian Church says it cannot afford the millions in repairs that are needed to shore up the nearly 160 year old landmarked church on the Upper West Side and is trying to get a hardship exemption from the Landmarks Preservation Commission allowing the church to be sold to a real estate developer.
The Center for West Park, which is leasing the space, opposes the sale and is trying to raise its own money to fix the ailing structure and potential buy it.
At the November 16 and 17 benefit events, screen writer Kenny Lonergan (“Gangs of New York”) teamed up with A-list celebrities including actors Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo, Wendell Pierce, comedian Amy Schumer and rapper Common who are trying to save the church. Longergan staged a reading of the play, “This is Our Youth” with Matt Damon performing. Some supporters paid up to $500 a ticket to attend.
The congregation of the West Park Presbyterian Church has shhrunk to 12 people who say they cannot afford the repairs to the church which has stood on the corner of Amsterdam Ave. and W. 86th St. for nearly 160 years and on want to sell the church to Alchemy Partners for $33 million. The 2022 sale agreement is contingent on the Landmarks Preservation Commission granting a hardship exemption that would allow the church to be torn down.
But Hirshman said the two day benefit proved once again the importance of having a performing arts center for the community on the UWS. “One of the experiences that was profound was to watch these students during intermission, talking to Kenny Lonergan, the playwright, and thinking that they were just in heaven,” said Hirshman. The Center for Park West is trying to raise money to buy the church itself, but their offer of $3 million is far below the offer from the real estate developer.
If the church building is sold, the Center for West Park says it will put the community performing arts center that it runs in the church in serious jeopardy.
The fundraising event received an overwhelming amount of publicity and Hirshman said production companies have reached out to the Center in hopes of supporting the cause as well.
The money that was raised will not be going towards restoring the church directly. The $323,000 will be going towards the Center’s operations, which is leasing the space to run community performing art and other events.
Currently, by renting out their available spaces and offering pickleball lessons the Center has been able to sustain itself financially. Pickleball alone has gotten them $8,500.
What’s next?
The Center has an ongoing capital project to raise $2 million to remove the sidewalk scaffolding that has surrounded the ailing building for around 20 years and do the necessary exterior repairs to the West-Park building.
Donald Friedman, president of Old Structures Engineering, gave a $1.7 million estimate that he presented at a Oct. 31st Landmarks Preservation Committee meeting. The original estimated cost for the exterior repairs presented by the church were millions above that cost.
The next step is to ask for permission from the Church to do the repairs. If they are denied, the Center said it will takes its case to the Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC) to get permission to do the job. The LPC has already heard arguments from the congregation and community preservationists both for and and against the sale to a real estate developer in June, but has yet to make a ruling on whether it will grant a rare hardship exemption.
The Center has to prove to the LPC that as a community, they are able to raise $2 million. From the donations of the benefit and the attention that the Center is now getting, Hirshman is confident that they will be able to raise additional funds. She said she has upcoming meetings that will address the specifics on how to do just that.
Other movie stars from the benefit wanted to contribute to the cause by donating their art which will now be turned into an online art auction that is in the works, she said.
While there are many conversations happening behind the scenes, the Center is looking forward to hosting an inclusion concert for middle school and high school atypical students happening on Jan. 7th, 2024.