Mark Ruffalo, Matt Dillon Lead Fight to Save Landmark Upper West Side Church

Fight to Preserve West Park Presbyterian Church

• 🎭 An arts group, backed by celebrities like Mark Ruffalo, Matt Dillon, and Christian Slater, is fighting eviction from the West Park Presbyterian Church.
• 🏛️ The church, a landmark on the Upper West Side, is slated for demolition to make way for a luxury housing development.
• 🗣️ Actor Richard Kind is actively involved in the campaign, emphasizing the need to protect arts spaces in the city.

Financial Challenges and Development Plans

• 💰 The church requires tens of millions of dollars for repairs, funds it states it does not possess.
• 🏗️ To address this, the church has partnered with a developer for a deal estimated at $30 million to demolish the structure and build a high-end skyscraper.
• 📝 The nonprofit managing the church plans to resubmit an application to the city's landmarks commission, citing financial hardship as justification for the demolition.

Community and Economic Impact Arguments

• 💡 The arts group, The Center, has raised approximately $8 million towards preservation efforts.
• 📈 Mark Ruffalo argues that the arts center is an economic driver, citing 27,000 paying audience members in the last two years who patronized local businesses.
• 💬 The group is committed to demonstrating that no financial hardship exists, advocating for the building's maintenance as a landmark.