T
he Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is set to decide the fate of a crumbling Upper West Side church. West Park Presbyterian Church, at Amsterdam Ave and 86th St, wants to demolish its 135‑year‑old building and sell the site to developer Alchemy for a mixed‑use tower that would include a modern performing‑arts venue. The congregation estimates that restoring the structure would cost between $30 million and $40 million, a sum that has not been secured. Unlike Christ Church at 344 W. 36th St., which was rescued by philanthropist Samuel Rubin, West Park has no comparable benefactor, and its condition has worsened since the 1970s.

    The church’s administrative arm has filed an appeal to have its 2010 landmark designation revoked on hardship grounds. If the LPC upholds the designation, the building will remain a scaffold‑shrouded eyesore. Opponents of the sale include former arts‑group members, preservation‑oriented officials such as former Borough President Gale Brewer, and actors Mark Ruffalo, Laurence Fishburne, and Matthew Broderick, who argue the landmark status should be maintained. Some critics claim personal motives, noting that four board members of the former Center at West Park live in adjacent buildings that would lose view if a new tower were built.

    The conflict began in 2018 when West Park signed a five‑year lease with the Center at West Park. In 2021 the church hired Alchemy to assess sale and development options. That same year, emergency repairs were required for the sanctuary’s south wall, but funds were lacking. In 2022 the church asked the LPC to revoke the landmark status and later that year evicted the arts group when its lease expired. The Center at West Park contested the eviction, asserting renewal rights, but a state Supreme Court judge allowed the church to void the lease in February 2024, a decision upheld by the Appellate Division.

    Following the court ruling, West Park re‑filed its appeal to the LPC. The building has continued to deteriorate: uneven floors, an unstable roof, and numerous cracks in the sandstone façade. The Center’s executive director, Debby Hirshman, claimed to have raised over $5 million for repairs, yet the organization’s 2023 financial statement lists only $121,000 in funding. No comment has been received from Hirshman or other Center officials.

    West Park’s head, Roger Leaf, noted that when the landmark designation was granted in 2010 the church was empty, surrounded by a sidewalk shed, and owned by a congregation with almost no resources to maintain it. The LPC’s decision will determine whether the historic structure is preserved, demolished, or repurposed.