Actors fight to preserve landmark church from demolishment, forcing eviction of arts non-profit
UPPER WEST SIDE (WABC) -- On the Upper West Side, there was a star-studded fight to preserve a landmark church on Monday.
West Park Presbyterian Church is home to a small arts group that is backed by actors including Mark Ruffalo, Matt Dillon and Christian Slater.
The actors, along with others from the community, are pushing back against plans to demolish the church to make way for luxury housing.
"The arts need to be protected, we don't have enough of them on the Upper West Side," said actor Richard Kind.
Award-winning actor Richard Kind helped lead the charge to save West Park Presbyterian Church at 86th and Amsterdam.
The house of worship has been home to the non-profit 'The Center.'
But with an eviction notice now in hand, the arts group is booking spaces elsewhere knowing a luxury apartment building could go up in it's place.
Kind is getting help from some famous friends.
"There are plenty of places where they can build new buildings, they don't need to tear down something like this," actor Matt Dillon said.
The church, which is a landmark, needs repairs that could cost tens of millions of dollars, which it says it does not have.
So it has teamed up with a developer who plans to demolish the structure and build a high-end skyscraper in a roughly $30 million deal.
Debby Hirshman heads up 'The Center' and says the owners plan to resubmit an application to the city's landmarks commission claiming financial hardship, which could green light that tear down.
"We are committed to show why there is not a hardship here as why the building should be maintained as a landmark," Hishman said.
'The Center' has raised roughly $8 million.
Mark Ruffalo says what's happening is actually an economic driver for the entire city.
"We've had 27,000 paying audience members come through here in the last two years and that's 27,000 people who go to our restaurants, our bars and our stores," Ruffalo said.
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
