An event space, a daycare, a nonprofit?
Solutions to save a crumbling Upper West Side church were put forward last week by members of the Landmarks Preservation Commission as an alternative to demolishing the 19th century building — the preferred outcome of its owner, the West Park Presbyterian Church.
The church, whose congregation has dwindled to just 12 parishioners, wants the commission to remove the building’s landmark status, paving the way for the development of a condo building on the site, which Alchemy Properties is in contract to buy for north of $30 million.
Repairing the church at 165 West 86th Street may cost twice that amount, an independent real estate consultant testified during the commission’s meeting Tuesday. Its brownstone and sandstone exterior, which is giving way to the elements, badly needs repair.
“We appreciate that the independent review of our hardship application confirms the studies and analysis we presented,” said a West Park Presbyterian spokesperson. Nevertheless, commissioners, who are appointed by the city’s mayor, searched for alternatives to razing the church.
“It’s worth it to look at the most aggressive solution short of demolition,” one said during the meeting. The same commissioner found it “curious” that a plan to turn the property into an event space had been “summarily rejected” by the owner.
The commissioner pointed to 583 Park Avenue, a church that was rehabilitated into an event space, and to the Cipriani family, whose hospitality business operates in several historic buildings.
The LPC must decide whether to approve a hardship application submitted by the church, which claims that repair costs for the building would outweigh any resulting financial gain, a view that was confirmed this week by consultant Keith Brenan of Weitzman Associates.
The church was given its landmark status during an earlier attempt to create housing at the site in 2010. It’s not uncommon for opponents of a development to seek landmark designation for whatever the project would replace.
Weitzman examined potential uses for the church, including conversion to a multifamily building.
“Even in this case, the result is negative net income before real estate taxes,” he testified.
If the church cannot generate a 6 percent operating profit following the renovation, the commission may find its landmark status constitutes a financial hardship, which would help clear the way for demolition.
Only 19 hardship applications have been submitted to the LPC since its creation in 1965. The commission has approved 13 of those applications.
Still, some commissioners seized on a much lower dollar figure presented by structural engineer Don Friedman, who testified that as little as $1.7 million would be needed to remove the sidewalk shed that skirts the exterior of the building, rising to $9 million over a decade to complete an external rehabilitation.
Given an expense of $1.7 million, the church would only need to fetch about $7.15 per square foot in rents to generate an operating margin of 6 percent, according to testimony given to the commission, possibly punching a hole in the church’s hardship application. However, West Park Presbyterian put the minimum rent required for a $1.7 million outlay at $28 per square foot.
The low-ball repair figure may appeal to the panel in part because of an ongoing legal dispute between the church and an existing tenant, a nonprofit theater company that is fighting in court to stay in the space until 2028. Both sides have vowed to appeal the court’s ruling.
Celebrities have joined the preservationist cause, arguing that the current nonprofit theater tenant holds more cultural value than erecting another condo.
“Listen, the building needs work,” actor Mark Ruffalo told ABC News. “I mean, if you walk down any of these blocks, you’ll see, you know, 15 percent of the buildings have got scaffolding in front of them. But that doesn’t mean it’s falling down.”
This article has been updated with comments from West Park Presbyterian Church.
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According to Friedman’s testimony to the landmarks commission, however, a wall on the church’s south side is at risk of collapsing:
“That wall is not going to fall today. However, it will continue to move and will fall at some point if not addressed.”
To date, more than 30 people have voiced opposition to the church’s hardship application, and one person has commented in favor. The agency is accepting public comments through Nov. 14 about the future of the church. Two days later, the nonprofit theater will hold a benefit at the church, including a performance that will star Ruffalo and Matt Damon.