West-Park to host U.S. premier of film "The Second Meeting"

Since even before its designation as a New York City Individual Landmark in May 2010, West-Park Presbyterian Church (Amsterdam Avenue at West 86th Street) has set the stage for an exciting array of community events.  

From experimental theater productions (twice!) to concert series, to craft fairs and film screenings, West-Park's programming (all the while remaining a house of worship for its congregation) speaks to the adaptability of historic structures.  The trend continues this weekend as West-Park hosts a screening of the film The Second Meeting.  

Here's more from our neighbors at West-Park ... 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

NEW YORK, NY (September 24, 2012) – The advanced screening of a new documentary by Optimistic Film, The Second Meeting, will debut in New York City at West-Park Presbyterian Church on Saturday, October 13, 2012, at 7pm.  Immediately following, there will be a panel discussion that features one of the film’s subjects, U.S. Air Force pilot Lt. Colonel Dale Zelko and the producer and director of the film, Željko Mirković. West-Park Presbyterian Church presents the film in cooperation with The Center At West-Park. 

The Second Meeting follows Lt. Col Zelko’s journey back to Serbia to meet Col. Dani, 12 years after the first meeting of the pilot and missile officer who commanded the Yugoslav missile battery that shot down Zelko’s F117A Stealth fighter in 1999. “I had the remarkable opportunity to have a second chance at experiencing Serbia and her people and I will forever be deeply grateful, enriched, and blessed by it,” said Lt. Col Zelko of the experience. Lt. Col. Zelko will participate in a panel discussion and audience Q&A immediately following the screening. 

The advanced screening will be the first showing in the United States of the newest film by award-winning Serbian Filmmaker Željko Mirković. Col. Dani states, “The “Second Meeting” has taken place thanks to Mr. Željko Mirković and Mr. Dale Zelko, who have understood that in this way we can give an uncommon contribution that swarms with love and understanding, and has a goal to proclaim the world peace. This is exactly “the pearl of the goodness of humanity” we have always lacked.”

The event is open to the media. Željko Mirković, Lt. Col Zelko and Col. Dani are available for interviews. Please RSVP to attend. You can RSVP on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/events/413575218704120/.

           Who:  Open to the public; free will donation
          What:  The Second Meeting advanced screening and discussion
       Where:   West Park Presbyterian Church

                      165 W. 86th St (at Amsterdam Ave), NY, NY, 10024
        When:   Saturday, October 13, 2012, 7pm
          URL:    http://www.facebook.com/events/413575218704120/.
 

For more about Optimistic Film: http://optimisticfilm.com.
For more about West-Park Presbyterian Church: http://westparkpresbyterian.org/. 
For more about The Center at West Park (http://thecentreatwestpark.wordpress.com/.

Contact: Rev. Dr. Robert L. Brashear

Email: rlbrashear@gmail.comrlbrashear@gmail.com>

Tel.: (646) 541-3329

In Service of Our Landmarks: Looking back at MLK Day volunteer initiatives

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr., National Day of Service.  Today is a special opportunity for us to think about how we can lend our energies to the people, places and organizations in our communities who could use a bit of help.  Whatever kind of service project you're interested in, you can likely find something in your neighborhood to match.

LW! is dedicated -- every day -- to helping those in our neighborhood navigate the ins and outs of landmark regulations and designation.  We're always here to answer questions (Is my building a landmark? How can I be involved in the public review process? What are landmark-worthy buildings in my neighborhood?).  And in 2010, for the National Day of Service, we took our daily advocacy efforts to the streets, in service of educating West Siders (and visitors thereof) about the "landmark in waiting" in their midst: West-Park Presbyterian Church.

In the company of dedicated volunteers and passionate interns, we fanned out across the West-Park neighborhood (the intersection of West 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue) to hand out flyers about this important resource.  West-Park has since been landmarked, and the church is regularly host to exciting and engaging community activities (follow the "West-Park" label here on our blog.  

Then, in 2011, we encouraged friends and neighbors to, on the National Day of Service, "give back" to the locally-owned businesses that give the West Side such unique character.  We want to hear from you: "What service projects did (or do you plan to) participate in this year?"

At West-Park Church, the Heat is On!

West-Park Presbyterian Church*

As temperatures on the West Side begin to drop low, low, low, the heat at landmarked West-Park Presbyterian Church is going up, up, up!!

LW! learned some BIG NEWS this morning, courtesy of our friends at the West End Preservation Society (WEPS): the beleaguered boiler at West-Park has been replaced and the church's heat is ON!  

From WEPS ...

Last night ... WEPS met and chatted with Rev. Dr. Jane S. Galloway, who preaches at West-Park Church. "Last Sunday, I couldn't figure out what was different, and then I  realized: I wasn't cold!" She praised the new boiler and the efforts of Council Member Gale Brewer, whose dogged determination generated the means and money to get the boiler functioning in the only-recently Landmarked  Building.  Gale's newsletter makes the  announcement, but just in case you missed it, here's the good news: "West  Park Presbyterian Church, 165 West 86 Street, has a working “green” boiler and has heat! Much thanks to West Siders, preservation groups, and Community Board 7 as well as the Dept. of Buildings and ConEd for expediting their inspection schedules. Now we can work toward getting the roof repaired and the scaffolding removed." Thanks  to the New York Landmarks Conservancy for being point-man on the money collection  and in its advocacy for the building. And thank you, Gale, for your tireless efforts in behalf of the well-being, warmth, and preservation of the best of the Upper West Side. 

The interior of West-Park, as seen during the December 2010 volunteer clean up,
organized by Preservation Alumni, West-Park, LW!, Friends of West-Park, and many more.

Together, we -- the community -- have done it!  To all of our friends and neighbors who responded to LW!'s October 2011 call for donations, THANK YOU!  Every penny counts ... and 250,000 pennies (that's $2,500!) made a real difference in helping the West-Park congregation and leadership to meet its fundraising goal.

West-Park has already been host to an amazing collection of public programs.  With the heat now on, we're eager to see the events continue!  For more on upcoming events, stay tuned to our blog (follow the "West-Park" label!) and the calendar for The Centre at West-Park. 

READ MORE: "West-Park Presbyterian Church's New Boiler Boosts Temps, Spirits" by DNA Info's Leslie Albrecht 

* West-Park Presbyterian Church is located on Amsterdam Avenue at West 86th Street.  Architect Leopold Eidlitz designed the original chapel in 1884, followed by architect Henry F. Kilburn's church addition in 1890.

West-Park Celebrates Milestone 100 Years in the Making

Yesterday evening, the congregation of West-Park Presbyterian Church opened its doors to celebrate their 100th year!  To mark the occasion, the Church hosted 100+, a benefit event looking back on the past century of growth and achievements in anticipation of the rejuvenation that has already begun!

West-Park, located on the corner of Amsterdam Avenue at West 86th Street, was alive with theatrical and acoustic musical performances, modern dance and ... an aerialist!  The variety of programming during 100+ speaks to the amazing opportunity for adaptive reuse at West-Park, and the range of partners who could one day call the church "home" and its congregation "neighbors"!

Click here to learn more about how far West-Park has come (and how YOU can be a part of it!), and click here to learn about plans for the future!

Below, a few (somewhat fuzzy) iPhone photos snapped during the evening's merriment:

Rev. Robert Brashear welcomes friends and supporters to 100+.

The beautiful stained glass inside West-Park illuminates the sanctuary.

The evening began with a one-act play, chronicling the history of the church. 
On the left, "Wes" (that is, the church personified) explains to a construction worker his plan
for the future of West-Park.

In the balcony above the sanctuary, members of Times Square Playwrights perform.

In the parish house, musician Amanda Christine performs.

Aerialist Rachel Hsiung stuns and mesmerizes the crowd amid balloons and cupcakes aplenty.

"Honor the Past, Celebrate the Future" with West-Park

West-Park Presbyterian Church
165 West 86th Street

West-Park Presbyterian Church has achieved some major milestones in the last few years.  Certainly one would be the Individual Landmark designation by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission in early 2010 (affirmed by the City Council later that May!). 

Next Monday, December 5th, the church is celebrating another major (and we mean major!) moment: its 100th Anniversary! 

To mark the occasion, the leadership and congregation at West-Park are hosting "100+", a benefit event that will honor West-Park’s history of social justice advocacy, inclusivity, and support for culture and the arts, and will offer an exciting glimpse—and celebration—of the future. 

Projected on the horizon for West-Park is the revitalization of the landmark building (which has received a terrific boon this fall thanks to handfuls of generous supporters of West-Park), and the founding and development of The Center at West-Park.

To learn more about the 100+ Benefit Event, click on the graphic below!

If you're unable to attend but would like to learn more about how you can support West-Park's rejuvenation, email us at landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org.

Things are Warming Up at West-Park Presbyterian Church

West-Park Presbyterian Church
165 West 86th Street

Since its induction into the West Side landmark family in 2010, the community has filled West-Park Presbyterian Church with helping hands; we've seen it filled with intrigue and theatrical flair and with heavenly voices and inspirational instruments.  Now, let's fill West-Park with one of the basic essentials: heat!

Join the leadership and congregation of West-Park, Council Member Gale Brewer, members of the city-wide preservation community, and neighbors and supporters of West-Park next Thursday, November 10th, from 6-8PM for a fundraiser to benefit the church's boiler repair/replacement fund. 

Repairing or replacing the existing boiler is a major priority since, without heat, the congregation will be unable to use the church this winter, stalling efforts to revitalize the building.  Attend this upcoming fundraiser to contribute to this project and to hear updates as to "next steps" in the ongoing rejuvenation of this captivating red sandstone landmark.

              WHAT : Fundraiser to benefit 

                           West-Park Presbyterian Church
             WHEN : Thursday, Nov. 10th, 6-8PM

           WHERE : The Belnord Apartments

                           225 West 86th Street
                                 RSVP required; please email semplelisa@aol.com

Community Members Help LW! Meet the Challenge!
In the month of October, the congregation at West-Park received a challenge grant that would match up to $25,000 of monies raised toward the much needed repair/replacement of the church's insufficient boiler.  LW! reached out to its network of West-Park supporters and neighbors to inspire them to make a modest contribution -- $100, $50, whatever worked for each individual or family! -- and help toward the church's $25,000 goal.  We set forth a challenge: to raise $2,500 towards the total $25,000 needed.  In less than two weeks ... done!

The New York Landmarks Conservancy, who is administering the boiler fund, reported that indeed, the $25,000 goal was met (a total of $50,000 with matching funds).  The boiler project is estimated at $84,000 total -- help us go the distance.  Attend the November 10th fundraiser; be a part of the renewal of this community resource!

Preserving West-Park: Looking back to move forward
A 20-year community effort was thankfully rewarded on May 12, 2010, when the New York City Council affirmed the designation of the West-Park Presbyterian Church as a NYC Individual Landmark (click here to read the designation report).  The victory kickstarted a new chapter in the life of West-Park. 

Here's just a snapshot at some of the recent activity of LW!, the West-Park congregants, our local elected officials, and preservation colleagues, including the New York Landmarks Conservancy, Friends of West-Park, and Preservation Alumni:  

• Long-time West-Park congregant and West Sider Jim Wadsworth secured a generous $5,000 donation from the Lois G. Roy Dickerman Fund as seed money towards replacing West-Park's failing boiler.  "The boiler must be in place in order to secure the development partners and renters necessary to fulfill our emerging business plan," Rev. Brashear shared.  The Dickerman Fund gift--made in honor of Mr. Wadsworth's late wife, Carol--is the first dedicated donation to the boiler project.
  
  

• City Council Member Gale Brewer organized a fundraiser to collect starter funds for bricks-and-mortar restoration of West-Park.  The fund, managed by the New York Landmarks Conservancy, was recently put to work with roof repairs to West-Park's sanctuary and chapel.  At the same time, the Conservancy spent $10,000 from a special Rockefeller Foundation grant to initiate architectural services to establish a phased exterior restoration plan.  The plan will be completed this month, with a priority to facade work that will allow the removal of the sidewalk bridge at long last.  A significant step in the long process of West-Park's physical rejuvenation!
  
  The West-Park restoration fund remains open for contributions!  Checks can be made payable to "New York Landmarks Conservancy," with "WPPC" as the memo, and mailed to:
  
                   New York Landmarks Conservancy
                   ATTN: Peg Breen, President
                   1 Whitehall Street
                   New York, NY  10004
  
  
• Members of the West-Park congregation teamed with Preservation Alumni, the alumni organization for graduates of Columbia University's Historic Preservation Masters Program, LW!, Friends of West-Park, and the generous team of Jack Pontes Brownstone Restorations for a day-long interior clean up of the church's sanctuary.  Dusting, vacuuming, buffing, scrubbing ... you name it!  Dozens of volunteers turned out to put their muscles to work for the preservation of West-Park.   
  
  

• LW! worked with architects and an electrician to upgrade the church's wiring and emergency exit lighting to help make it possible for the congregation to open its doors for public events, such as a holiday craft fair in December and this summer's Bridge Concert Series.  

The all-volunteer crew celebrates the successful clean-up of West-Park in December 2010.

Designation was only the beginning of what must continue to be a robust, sustained, community-wide effort.  Full restoration of West-Park Presbyterian Church will be a major undertaking, but we must begin with manageable goals, such as the ongoing development of a strategic plan.

See you at the fundraiser!

West-Park to host film screening in October

Last month, LW! staffers dove head first into the mind boggling and totally engaging world of the psychological play "The Tenant", an experiential theater production by the Woodshed Collective, taking place at the landmarked West-Park Presbyterian Church.

Seeing the church filled with audience members, scampering up and down five floors of the parish house as they followed the action of the players, was truly spectacular and speaks both to the community's desire to see the church again bustling with action, and to the potential for the landmark church's adaptive reuse.  

Following "The Tenant", West-Park played host to another theater troupe, the Dark Lady Players and next month the church will open its doors to the community as it hosts a two-part film screening and discussion series.  These events are a terrific opportunity to meet the people behind West-Park's rebirth and to see for yourself the wonderful church interior.

The congregation of West-Park Presbyterian Church invites you ...

The Center at West-Park invites you to join us as we engage the complex subject of forgiveness through a two-part film screening and three-session discussion group series.

In Forgiveness: A Time to Love & A Time To Hate, award-winning film maker Helen Whitney elegantly and fearlessly tackles these issues in her two part documentary, offering a compelling range of intimate and powerful stories: from personal betrayal to reconciliation—global and local—in the wake of tragedy.

The Center will show part one of Whitney’s film on Tuesday, October 4, and part two on Tuesday, October 11th, both at 7:30PM. Helen Whitney will be present for Q&A at the October 11th showing.

An opportunity to address the multi-faceted topic of forgiveness in the context of community will take place on three subsequent Tuesday evenings—October 18th, 25th, and November 1st, from 7:30 to 9PM. Chaplain and spiritual retreat leader Eleanor Harrison Bregman will facilitate three small group discussions based on the film. Session one focuses on formulating our own working definitions and varied meanings of forgiveness. The “mechanics” and process of forgiveness are the themes for the second session. The final session considers the experience of seeking forgiveness, granted or withheld, including self-forgiveness.

Film showings: No advance registration or ticketing required.
Film admission: Suggested donation $10 at the door (more if you can, less if you can’t).
Discussion groups: Space is limited. Registration either at the door or in advance (preferred):
$10 for one group; $25 for all three. Go to http://forgiveness.eventzilla.net/ to register or click below.

Venue for film and discussion groups:

The Center at West Park
West Park Church, 165 West 86th Street, NYC 10024
At the corner of Amsterdam Avenue at 86th Street
212.362.4890

Fun at the Festival: LW! at weekend street fair

REPORT from the FIELD

By Cristiana Peña

This past weekend brought the annual Columbus Avenue Festival to the Upper West Side.  Events like this are right up LW's alley -- it gives us the opportunity to escape the four walls of our office and mix and mingle (out on beautiful Columbus Avenue, no less) with folks who value and love the neighborhood as much as we do.

LW's Sarah Sher has the table set, tote in hand ... she's ready to talk about landmarks!

This year, I was joined by our newly minted Program Coordinator Sarah Sher and our graduate intern Kate Gilmore (no stranger to this blog).  We shared information about ongoing advocacy work, such as the West-Park Presbyterian Church, distributed copies of our latest Map Newsletter, and generally made merry.

And for the first time in a long time, we had stuff to sell!  For a modest donation ($3, $20 and many denominations in between!), visitors to the LW! table walked away with a historic map of a Manhattan neighborhood, or a "vintage" copy of a Harper's Weekly article, or an artistic representation of Grand Central Terminal, or one of many other odds and ends.  The map and photo sale was a big hit and we heard lots of encouragement (both at the fair later via Twitter) from folks as to planning other opportunities to sell these pieces of the past.

Our good friend Brendan walks away with his own Bromley map of northern Manhattan.
Thanks for all your support, Mr. Shera!

Kate, Cristiana and Sarah with a sample of one of the hundreds (literally!) of maps
available at Sunday's street fair.

But it wasn't all work on Sunday.  Kate G. made sure to peruse the other stalls and visit our friends at Soutine Bakery (Kate's a regular).  The tasty treats they had out for the festival has us dreaming of what Soutine Bakery and owner Madge Rosenberg have planned for Landmark Feast (coming this Sunday!).  Excited to see (and taste!) for ourselves.

Soutine Bakery tempts passersby on Sunday.

To all who swung by to say hi (@westsiderag, @NewTasteUWS and many others!), thank you!

Shakespearean Theater Comes to Life at West-Park

Last week, we wrote about the Woodshed Collective's run of "The Tenant" at West-Park Presbyterian Church.  The LW! staff is excitedly looking forward to experiencing this site-specific production for ourselves at this evening's show -- stay tuned for our musings in the coming days!

There are still plenty of opportunities to take in experiential theater on the West Side post-Woodshed, thanks to West-Park!  The church and its congregation continue the long history of supporting the theater and providing a venue for artistic expression with the Dark Lady Players' production of "Shakespeare's Gospel Parodies".  As with "The Tenant", this show is free to the public!  So read on to learn more about the troupe, the show and dates to mark on your calendar!

From the Dark Lady Players

West-Park Presbyterian Church
Hosts NYC’s Experimental Shakespeare Company

Beginning August 24th West Park is hosting the Woodshed Collective for their sold out, site-specific production of The Tenant which runs on Wednesdays-Saturday. In parallel West-Park is also hosting the experimental theater group the Dark Lady Players for their production of Shakespeare’s Gospel Parodies; A Medieval Mystery Tour. The production uses the sets that Woodshed has built and runs from 11 to 25 September, at 4:00 Sunday and 7:00 Monday-Tuesday. Tickets are free and available at the door on a first come first served basis.

West Park has a long association with Shakespeare, having previously been the home of the Riverside Shakespeare Company, having a 50 seat balcony theater dedicated by Joe Papp, and being the home of the 'Shakespeare Center,’ and the 'Shakespeare Project’ in the 1980s. It was where the Royal Shakespeare company did their first US residency. More recently it has been the venue for Shakespeare performances by the York Shakespeare company taking advantage of the building’s unique acoustics.

The Dark Lady Players perform the allegorical levels of Shakespeare’s plays showing that plays these are religious parodies. The Shakespeare plays contain 14 resurrections, 12 Apocalypses, 5 Virgin Mary Allegories, 3,000 additional religious references, a variety of Christ figures and were written using 14 different translations of the Bible. And yet none of the plays end in Paradise. Why do the Marys (Juliet, Ophelia, Desdemona) die before giving birth to the savior? Why are the Messiah figures (Laertes, Shylock, Bottom/Pyramus) defeated? These parodies resemble those in Jewish/Marrano literature and suggest that the author of the plays may not have been William Shakespeare but England’s only Jewish poet of the time.This was the subject of a cover article last summer in Reform Judaism magazine.

Shakespeare’s Gospel Parodies is a tour of key events from the life of Jesus as represented in parody in the plays, all based on reputable scholarship. The audience will walk from one scene to another around the building, under the guidance of docents, as if the scenes were living speaking pictures in a museum. The director is Jenny Greeman, the dramaturg John Hudson. After the performance on Sunday 18 September there will be a talkback with West Side clergy to discuss some of the implications. The production is partially funded by the Alliance of Resident Theaters-NY Nancy Quinn Fund. For more details visit www.facebook.com/darkladyplayers or email Darkladyplayers@aol.com

West-Park Takes Center Stage in Upcoming Theater Production

West-Park Presbyterian Church

Starting next Wednesday, August 24th, West-Park Presbyterian Church* will make its acting debut!

The landmark church will play host to "The Tenant", a site-specific performance produced by theater company Woodshed Collective. But don't relegate West-Park to that of mere scenery. As we learned via Alexis Soloski's recent New York Times article, West-Park "is a character in the show, it's a collaborator, it gets a seat at the table."

Interviews with the cast and crew of Woodshed Collective reveal the process of staging this theatrical experience, in which no less than eight separate plays slowly weave themselves together across five different floors of the West-Park parish house.

As Soloski writes, "Creating site-specific theater poses challenges: securing spaces, making them safe for audiences, adapting sound and lighting equipment to fit untraditional environments." Luckily for the Collective, volunteer manpower and donated clean-up services, as well as LANDMARK WEST!-sponsored electrical updates, have taken place in the past year, helping to ready West-Park for precisely this kind of inspired adaptive reuse (more below).

West-Park has donated use of the space to Woodshed Collective for the run of "The Tenant". Rev. Robert Brashear, in an interview with the West Side Spirit, noted that "... the work that Woodshed is doing helps us further down the [restorative] path. We'll have the benefit of significat parts of our restoration accomplished." West-Park has a long history supporting theatrical expression, having long been home to both Riverside Shakespeare and Frog and Peach Theater Companies. Now, thanks to Woodshed Collect, West-Park takes center stage! For regular updates by Rev. Brashear, visit the West-Park Press blog.

Read on for more information about Woodshed Collective's production of "The Tenant", as well as a recap of progress since the designation of West-Park!

* West-Park Presbyterian Church is located on Amsterdam Avenue at West 86th Street. Architect Leopold Eidlitz designed the original chapel in 1884, followed by architect Henry F. Kilburn's church addition in 1890.

Woodshed Collective presents "The Tenant" at West-Park

Members of the Woodshed Collective, rehearsing in the West-Park parish house. Image: New York Times.

"I grew up in New York, and I have a sort of essential curiosity about what's going on in the apartment next to you," co-artistic director of Woodshed Collective Teddy Bergman (far left in the above photo) recently told the West Side Spirit. "The story kind of illustrates the sort of breakdown of the modular society in this building, and all the flaws inherent in it ...That story, to me, is a very exciting one to tell in an installation context. When we're asking people to walk around and look and explore, it's a fun mirror to hold up to the organism of the audience."

From Woodshed Collective:

Set in Paris and inspired by Roland Topor's book, which was famously adapted into a film by Roman Polanski, The Tenant is a thrilling, haunting, and grotesquely hilarious investigation into the relationship between who we are and where we live. When Monsieur Trelkovsky rents a room recently vacated by a woman who fell from her window, he soon finds his world changing in bizarre ways. Haunted by images of the previous tenant's apparent suicide and terrorized by his new neighbors, Trelkovsky begins a slow decent into paranoia and delirium. Learn more!

"The Tenant" will unfold in the Parish House of the West-Park Presbyterian Church, 165 West 86th Street (northeast corner of Amsterdam Avenue, entrance on West 86th Street). Thanks to press and old-fashioned word of mouth, the current run of shows through September 17th have already sold out! With the overwhelming popularity of the production (FREE to the public, with reservations!), we certainly hope the run will be extended! Email Woodshed Collective to show your support for additional shows!

Preserving West-Park: Looking Back to Move Forward

A 20-year community effort was thankfully rewarded on May 12, 2010, when the New York City Council affirmed the designation of the West-Park Presbyterian Church* as a NYC Individual Landmark (click here to read the designation report). The victory kickstarted a new chapter in the life of West-Park.

Here's just a snapshot at some of the recent activity of LW!, the West-Park congregants, our local elected officials, and preservation colleagues, including the New York Landmarks Conservancy, Friends of West-Park, and Preservation Alumni:

• Long-time West-Park congregant and West Sider Jim Wadsworth secured a generous $5,000 donation from the Lois G. Roy Dickerman Fund as seed money towards replacing West-Park's failing boiler. "The boiler must be in place in order to secure the development partners and renters necessary to fulfill our emerging business plan," Rev. Brashear shared. Funding for this project has been estimated at around $42,500 and the Dickerman Fund gift--made in honor of Mr. Wadsworth's late wife, Carol--is the first dedicated donation.

• City Council Member Gale Brewer organized a fundraiser to collect starter funds for bricks-and-mortar restoration of West-Park. The fund, managed by the New York Landmarks Conservancy, was recently put to work with roof repairs to West-Park's sanctuary and chapel. At the same time, the Conservancy spent $10,000 from a special Rockefeller Foundation grant to initiate architectural services to establish a phased exterior restoration plan. The plan will be completed this month, with a priority to facade work that will allow the removal of the sidewalk bridge at long last. A significant step in the long process of West-Park's physical rejuvenation!
  
  The West-Park restoration fund remains open for contributions! Checks can be made payable to "New York Landmarks Conservancy," with "WPPC" as the memo, and mailed to:
  
  New York Landmarks Conservancy
  ATTN: Peg Breen, President
  1 Whitehall Street
  New York, NY 10044  

 

• Members of the West-Park congregation teamed with Preservation Alumni, the alumni organization for graduates of Columbia University's Historic Preservation Masters Program, LANDMARK WEST!, Friends of West-Park, and the generous team of Jack Pontes Brownstone Restorations for a day-long interior clean up of the church's sanctuary. Dusting, vacuuming, buffing, scrubbing ... you name it! Dozens of volunteers turned out to put their muscles to work for the preservation of West-Park.

• LANDMARK WEST! worked with architects and an electrician to upgrade the church's wiring and emergency exit lighting to help make it possible for the congregation to open its doors for public events, such as a holiday craft fair in December and this summer's Bridge Concert Series.

The all-volunteer crew celebrates the successful clean-up of West-Park in December 2010.

Designation was only the beginning of what must continue to be a robust, sustained, community-wide effort. Full restoration of West-Park Presbyterian Church will be a major undertaking, but we must begin with manageable goals, such as the ongoing development of a strategic plan.

Woodshed Collective's production of "The Tenant" is a wonderful opportunity to see the changes that have already taken place at West-park for yourself! We'll see you at the show!

Heavenly Voices, Inspiring Instruments Celebrate West-Park's Congregation

The congregation of the Upper West Side's newest Individual Landmark--the West-Park Presbyterian Church on Amsterdam Avenue at West 86th Street--just turned 100!

It was this time of year, back in 1911, that the West and Park Presbyterian Churches--then two separate bodies--came together as one unified congregation.  To commemorate the occasion, West-Park hosted the Bridge Concert Series this past weekend (more here!).  An eclectic mix of musical styles came together in support of West-Park, as did members of the community. 

LW! staffers attended the first two concerts in the series.  First, on Thursday, June 16th, was Bridge to Possibilities.  Featuring a talented group of singer-songwriters, their voices filled the sanctuary of the church (spruced up and ready for public events in large part thanks to the Winter 2011 clean-up organized by the congregation, Preservation Alumni, LANDMARK WEST!, Friends of West-Park, and other generous friends).  A fantastic kick-off to the four-day long concert event!

The following evening, Friday, June 17th, brought flavor and flair to the Upper West Side.  Bridge to Fusion, the second concert, featured both a world-renowned tango pianist and an acclaimed tango harmonica player.  Argentinian pianist Octavio Brunetti spoke of West-Park as being "one of the most beautiful places for music in the city".  Coming from a Latin Grammy-winner, that's saying something!

Last weekend's series was heralded by the congregation of West-Park as the first of many such public programs to celebrate their 100th year.  Stay tuned for updates on more events here and on the church's blog, the West-Park Press.

For more on how you can support the bricks-and-mortar restoration of West-Park, click here!

Love Your Landmark #18 - West-Park Presbyterian Church

 

West-Park Presbyterian Church

165 West 86th Street at Amsterdam Avenue

From Rev. Bob Brashear and the congregants of West-Park, some landmark love! 

To learn more about the congregation, visit their blog, the West-Park Press.

To learn more about the 2010 designation of the church, click here.

Landmarks and Landmarks-in-Waiting in the e-press

The Upper West Side press has been kept busy this week covering the landmark beat!  From the West Side's newest Individual Landmark, West-Park Presbyterian Church on 86th Street, to buildings deserving of landmarks status but locked in limbo, like the IRT Powerhouse on 59th Street, people are talking about our neighborhood's historic architectural resources!

Check out the articles below, then head to the LANDMARK WEST! Wish List advocacy page to learn more about how you can help further these campaigns.

West-Park fundraiser in the West Side Spirit and DNAInfo.

IRT Powerhouse chatter in West Side Spirit.

Stay tuned to LW! and these neighborhood news sources for more information on these and other landmark issues!

Amsterdam Avenue Street Festival 2010

UPDATE FROM THE FIELD

As reported by Cristiana P.

On Sunday afternoon, LW! staffers took to the streets--Amsterdam Avenue between 86th and 87th Streets, to be specific--for the annual Amsterdam Avenue Street Festival!

From our post directly across from West-Park Presbyterian Church, the West Side's newest Individual Landmark, we spoke with neighbors and festival goers about our advocacy initiatives, upcoming programming, our youth education program, and much more.  In turn, folks shared with LW! their thoughts on "what makes the West Side ... the West Side!" in brief video testimonials and our neighborhood survey.

A tremendous afternoon!  Thank you to everyone who visited LW's table!

PHOTO: LW's Kate Wood, neighborhood survey in hand, at our table during the street festival.

Seeing Is Believing! Preservation rally and West-Park council vote photos are in!

Experience the camaraderie and shared appreciation for our city's rich history as manifest at the preservation rally 2010, which took place on May 12, 2010.

Then, go inside City Hall for images from the decisive votes to confirm the Landmarks Preservation Commission's designation of West-Park Presbyterian Church as an Individual Landmark.

For more info, click here. 

Preservation Rally Draws Spirited Crowd

Yesterday, May 12th, just before the decisive vote by the City Council to affirm the landmark designation of West-Park Presbyterian Church ...

Rain or shine, New York City wants landmarks!

Dozens of landmark and neighborhood preservation advocates from all of the city's five boroughs gathered on the steps of City Hall to rally for preservation.

   

Historic buildings and neighborhoods are among New York's most valuable cultural and economic assets.  Landmarks must be a priority!  Past Preservation Lobby Days have resulted in greater Landmarks Preservation Commission funding and demonstrated the breadth of the preservation community. 

LANDMARK WEST! thanks all of the organizations and individuals who participated in this year's rally.  Your presence helped send the message loud and clear ...

Preservation is for the people and benefits all New Yorkers!

West-Park heard by City Council Subcomm. on Landmarks; vote forthcoming

The hallowed halls of NYC's City Hall came alive yesterday as people--community members, architects, preservationists, religious leaders, and more--filled Council Chambers, waiting for their turn to make their voice heard.  The matter at hand: the Individual Landmark designation of West-Park Presbyterian Church.  A prime example of public engagement at the grassroots level, indeed, as over 60 of those individuals and groups present put their vote on the record and provided public testimony.

Following unanimous votes of approval by, first, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (on Jan. 12, 2010) and, second, the City Planning Commission (on Mar. 10, 2010), West-Park was reviewed yesterday at public hearing of the City Council Subcomittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses.  Council member Brad Lander, chair of the subcommittee, directed the proceedings.

Kate Wood, Executive Director of LW!, reminded all present that “landmarking promises more solutions than obstacles.”  Ms. Wood was one of many speakers who stated before the Subcomittee that "the community is eager to support adaptive reuse of the building." In addition, she presented the Subommittee with a petition of over 1,200 names, representing those who support the designation of West-Park.

Testimony ranged from discussion about the striking beauty of the Romanesque Revivial building and potential funding sources for renovating the historic structure to the irreparable damage that losing a historic religious building can have on a community, and, lest one not forget, the fact that West-Park has not been used by the congregation in two years.  Rather, sits vacant at its prominent corner of West 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

UWS Council member Gale Brewer reported to members of the press that the meeting went well, and continued to pledge her support for the designation of the church. "I know my community," she exclaimed multiple times, adding also that she felt certain all parties could work together to find a feasible solution.

The City Council's Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses is expected to vote on the designation of West-Park at their next meeting on Tuesday, May 4th (time and location TBD). Join us there and show your support for West-Park!

Learn more on the church's journey to become an official NYC landmark here.

To stay updated on West-Park, follow LW! on Twitter or check out our Facebook page.