T
uesday’s hearing on Presbyterian Church’s hardship request to Landmarks Preservation Commission is contentious. The congregation seeks LPC approval to sell its building on Amsterdam Ave. to Alchemy Properties, who plan to raze it and build an apartment tower. Center at Park, an arts group, has joined dispute. The group claims the church could be restored for less than $30 million, but state’s highest court upheld the eviction and group has not raised promised funds. Presbytery applied for hardship exemption, and a Dec. 1 letter to LPC stated that such a designation would provide critical funding to sustain worship. Arts center aims to preserve views of nearby board members who would lose them if building rises.