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Why Mark Ruffalo and Wendell Pierce Are Fighting for a Crumbling … – The New York Times
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Congregants of the West Park Presbyterian Church, a Manhattan landmark, want it torn down and replaced by condos. Celebrities are joining the fight to save it.
For years, a conflict over whether to tear down one of New York City’s historic churches, a 19th-century Romanesque Revival building on the Upper West Side, has been cast in epic terms, as a battle between the little people and big business.
In this case, however, those who see themselves as representing the little people include a growing list of New York celebrities.
And big business? That would be a real estate firm working with the tiny congregation of the West Park Presbyterian Church, which says it cannot afford to fix up the deteriorating building and hopes to sell it to a developer to build new luxury apartments on the site.
What has ensued is a perplexing tug of war for the moral high ground, set against the backdrop of a long-running conflict over who feels like they should have control over the city’s future.
“It’s about the people versus the corporations in this city,” as Mark Ruffalo, the actor and a church neighbor, put it at a public hearing this month. He was arguing in favor of saving the church building, which has been on the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and West 86th Street since the 1880s.
Roger Leaf, the chairman of the West Park Administrative Commission, which was created by the Presbytery of New York in 2020 to help the church manage the space and find a buyer, says the congregation of about a dozen people wants to stop its financial bleeding and use proceeds from the real estate deal for better causes, including serving needy people across the city.
“It’s ironic that the wealthy neighbors of this church, who have multimillion apartments, who have windows overlooking this space, are claiming that they are the little guys,” he said.
The actual story is long, complicated and bitter, involving a continuing lawsuit, several conflicting engineering assessments and accusations of bad faith from both sides.
It is another example of how houses of worship, faced with declining membership, have turned to private development to rejuvenate themselves.
And, more broadly, it represents New York City’s many fraught attempts to balance growth and preservation, a conversation that has become more consequential as the city struggles with a housing shortage and officials hunt for places to put new homes — even luxury ones.
But the entry of Mr. Ruffalo and a number of celebrities — the actor Wendell Pierce, the comedian Amy Schumer, the rapper Common and more — into the fight over the church, more than two decades after it first began, has added an unusual twist to a common city conflict.
Mr. Ruffalo even cornered Mayor Eric Adams at the Tribeca Film Festival this month to plead his case. The meeting led to another more formal one on Thursday with members of City Hall, including the deputy mayor for housing, economic development and work force, Maria Torres-Springer, and church leaders, who find it baffling that their quest to destroy the building has turned into a high-profile political melodrama.
All sides agree about the storied history of the church and its architectural significance. The landmarks commission praised the “extraordinarily deep color of its red sandstone cladding” and its “monumental and distinguished presence,” which it said made it “one of the Upper West Side’s most important buildings.” West Park became known in the 1970s and 1980s as an early ally of the antiwar movement and L.G.B.T.Q. people, Mr. Leaf said.
But around the same time, the church became a flashpoint in the city’s real estate battles.
As early as the 1980s, West Park fought against preservationist regulations that would limit how it could use its property, arguing that it should be excluded from a historic district in the neighborhood.
Church members had been looking for developers to shape a new future for their deteriorating building since 2001, said Marsha Flowers, a ruling elder of West Park who has been a member of the congregation for 30 years.
In 2010, as the church was on the cusp of a deal to build housing on the site, preservationists successfully got the building designated as a city landmark. Landmarks are strictly regulated and typically prevent owners from making major and even minor changes that alter the appearance of their buildings.
Mr. Leaf said conditions in the building kept getting worse. Estimates for how much it would cost in total to renovate it are around $50 million, including $14 million to deal with crumbling facades and $4 million to comply with building and fire code violations.
Last June, the church presented a new application to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, essentially saying the deteriorating building and its landmark status presented a hardship to the church, which has no money to keep it up. They asked the commission to allow it to be redeveloped.
But the commission has only granted such applications 13 times since it was established in the 1960s, suggesting the odds are in the preservationists’ favor.
Nevertheless, Mr. Leaf is optimistic. He said if the application was granted, a developer, Alchemy Partners, has already signed a contract that would pay the church more than $30 million to demolish the building and build luxury apartments there.
“That would fund food pantries, soup kitchens, warming centers, early childhood education centers, homeless shelters and so forth,” he said.
Alchemy would also pay the church $8 million to set up a new space in the building.
Preservationists dispute many of the church’s characterizations of its predicament, saying it is exaggerating the dollar figures needed. Aligned with them is a nonprofit organization called the Center at West Park, a tenant that holds art performances and other events in the church.
(The West Park congregation itself went virtual during the pandemic; another congregation, the Lighthouse Chapel, holds services there weekly.)
Some even accuse the church of intentionally letting the building fall into disrepair.
“If the commission were to grant this application, it would provide a road map to every owner of a landmarked property in the City of New York of how to get your building destroyed,” said Michael Hiller, a lawyer representing the center.
Mr. Ruffalo said in an interview that the neighborhood had “breathed a sigh of relief” when the church was designated as a landmark.
He said he regularly attends events there and had been considering organizing an event of his own when, a few weeks ago, he found out about the church’s application.
“This is what I do, man,” he said. “I use my platform to speak for people who are being abused by a system that has kept them out, that doesn’t give them a voice and that we never get to hear from.”
He said he enlisted other friends and celebrities, and he rejected the notion that the situation was an example of wealthy New Yorkers using their clout.
Mr. Ruffalo and others are mounting their own campaign to raise money for the building. One crowdsourced fund-raiser has raised about $16,000 toward their $250,000 target — including a $1,000 donation from Mr. Ruffalo.
“Without spaces like that, I would have never made it as an actor,” Mr. Ruffalo said. “Without these places, there is no theater in New York City.”
Debby Hirshman, who became executive director of the center this spring, said anonymous donors are willing to pay for necessary repairs to eliminate the hardship — even up to $50 million. The church, however, said it has received no detailed information about such a proposal.
It’s not clear what will happen next with the church’s application, or when the commission might make a decision.
Mihir Zaveri covers housing in New York. @mihirzaveri
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The last Fight Week prior to the mega Fulton-Inoue/Spence-Crawford showdowns offers up some interesting action.
FRIDAY
Thompson Boxing sadly bids farewell after 23 years of promoting boxing in Southern California. Their final show is headlined by welterweight Louie Lopez (13-2-1, 4 KOs) against an opponent TBA. You can catch the action on YouTube and Facebook.
SATURDAY
ESPN presents former undisputed lightweight champion George “Ferocious” Kambosos Jr. (20-2, 10 KOs) against Maxi Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs) in a twelve round IBF world title eliminator from the FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
UFC Fightpass has exciting junior middleweight KO artist Serhii “El Flaco” Bohachuk (22-1, 22 KOs) against former world title challenger Patrick Allotey (42-4, 32 KOs) at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.
ProBox TV has a pro fight card from the Radisson Victoria Plaza in Montevideo, Uruguay, with middleweight Amilcar Vidal Jr (16-1, 12 KOs) rebounding from his first loss against Domicio Rondon (17-5, 11 KOs).
So we have a fighter from Australia against a UK fighter at a venue on Oklahoma. Looks like this one will go the distance!
My thoughts (re the fighters and venue) exactly but why do you think that this means a distance fight?
Am I ridiculous for thinking that Hughes has a chance in this one, Pete?? He’s been on a nice little run as of late against some decent guys including a former world champion, albeit a blown-up featherweight.
I was just thinking the same. Maxi is on a nice run; If you take away the win against a mentally and physically compromised Teo, has George done much?
Getting whitewashed against Haney twice and close wins against Bet and Selby doesn’t make a great resume. I think Maxi is a live dog.
Don’ think so-has five losses and not much KO power. Kambosos pretty average as well but should have enough to beat this guy.
Only time he got f’d up was vs someone who wore Reyes gloves. As long as Kambosos isn’t wearing those, Hughes may not be psyched out. He like kept the Reyes gloves and showed them off about how much he hated the padding and feel to them. It was in a YouTube video.
I think he does have a chance. I always felt the stars aligned perfect for Kambosos when he fought Lopez. Lopez was overconfident and fought a fight that gave Kambosos a chance. Plus he was better at taking Lopez’s power then we thought which I also think caught Lopez off guard. Other then that, like Streetgang said…what else has he really done that separates him from Hughes? I maybe in the minority but I thought Selby beat him.
So yes I think Hughes could outpoint him. I am not sure if that is my pick but it is a reasonable outcome. Just to clarify when I earlier said it would go the distance I was referring to their KO % …that comment had nothing to do with the venue which I do not think will be relevant as to whether it goes the distance or not.
I remember the Selby fight and thinking it was close but Lee may have nicked it.
I will be pulling for Maxi, George has become a bit unbearable for me.
I think I might just take this week off and just save the excitement for next weekend
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The IBF’s 38th Annual Convention will kick off this weekend at The Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park, in Chicago, Illinois from May 28 – June 1, 2023. After 38 years, the organization will be returning to the Midwest to celebrate the IBF’s 40th year. The IBF celebrated its 2nd Annual Convention in Dearborn, Michigan in 1985 and a return to the region is long overdue. “We are excited for this milestone event and are looking forward to gathering with the boxing community in Chicago and the Midwest,” said IBF President Daryl Peoples.
During the convention the IBF hosts several events and seminars. Notably, the IBF also presents annual awards at each convention, and proudly announces its top award recipients for 2022 to be presented at the Awards Banquet closing the organization’s convention festivities on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. The IBF is proud to announce some of it’s top awards for 2022 in anticipation of the upcoming convention.
Jersey Joe Walcott Award
The Jersey Joe Walcott Award, the organization’s highest honor, will go to Naoya Inoue. In spectacular fashion, Inoue unified the Bantamweight division with a second-round knockout win over Nonito Donaire. Naoya won the IBF title in 2019 and defended six times.
Female Fighter of the Year
Receiving the IBF Female Fighter of the Year Award is Chantelle Cameron who unified the Female Jr. Welterweight division. Cameron put on an exciting performance when she beat Undisputed Welterweight Champion Jessica McCaskill by unanimous decision and became the Undisputed Champion in the division.
Fight of the Year
IBF– Sivenathi Nontshinga vs. Hector Flores
Female – Katie Taylor vs. Amada Serrano
Intercontinental – Mark Heffron vs. Lennox Clarke
USBA – Robeisy Ramirez vs. Abraham Nova
Jessica McCaskill and Murodjon Akhmadaliev are recieving Championship Rings for 3 successful title defenses.
“We proudly celebrate the notable achievements and remarkable careers of our champions, and the boxers that participated in IBF title fights. These are very well-deserved distinctions as all these fighters have worked incredibly hard to attain these accomplishments. We look forward to celebrating them,” noted Daryl Peoples.
Big weekend coming up with four of the top welterweights not named Terence Crawford or Errol Spence seeing action.
FRIDAY
DAZN kicks things off with unbeaten WBO #3, WBA #11, WBC #12 super middleweight Diego Pacheco (18-0, 15 KOs) will take on Manuel Gallegos (19-1-1, 16 KOs) from the Cintermex in Monterrey, NL, Mexico. Pacheco is a 20:1 favorite.
SATURDAY
DAZN is back for the second consecutive night with a mouth-watering clash between unbeaten WBA regular welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) and WBA #1 Vergil Ortiz Jr. (19-0, 19 KOs) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Ortiz is a 4:1 favorite to dethrone Stanionis.
Showtime delivers undefeated IBF interim welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) defending against IBF top-rated Roiman Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) from the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Ennis is a 13:1 favorite.
ESPN+ offers up exciting former world champion and current WBC #2 super bantamweight Luis Nery (34-1, 26 KOs) against Froilan Saludar (33-6-1, 23 KOs) from the fairground in Metepec, Mexico (90 minutes west of Mexico City). Nery is a 12:1 favorite.
Stanionis vs Ortiz is a cracking matchup. I wonder if Virgil’s momentum will be disrupted by illness. I guess we’ll see on Saturday.
Not anymore because Ortiz pulled out with his fake disease of not being able to make weight again. He did this last minute again to the Lithuanian. He should be sued and banned from the sport. Scumbag!
One of these days Boots is gonna walk all over Crawford and Spence. There’s starting to be a lot of buzz on how good Boots is, but I think he’s even better than advertised. Like Spence and Crawford, he boxes on a different level and has an extremely high boxing IQ as they say. It’s not just his speed, power, experience, and skills; he’s a thinking man and knows exactly what he’s doing. I just hope he doesn’t continue to be avoided.
The thing with boots is he seems to leave himself open for shots. Hopefully he corrects that.
Kris…I have to agree with you about Boots….Boots is “special”…..of course time could change that…but watching his fight against Karen Chukhadzhian…studying that fight …I saw something special…and Karen is as tough fighter and Karen maybe a future world champion..very good skills…guys In my opinion Boots is really good…on that level of “special”….
Best of luck to both stanionis and Ortiz. I like both so I’ll be happy for the winner and bummed out for the loser.
SATURDAY
Showtime delivers undefeated IBF interim welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) defending against IBF top-rated Roiman Villa (26-1, 24 KOs).
– Not shown on the FightNews “Upcoming TV Fights”.
ESPN+ offers up exciting former world champion and current WBC #2 super bantamweight Luis Nery (34-1, 26 KOs) against Froilan Saludar (33-6-1, 23 KOs) from the fairground in Metepec, Mexico (90 minutes west of Mexico City). Nery is a 12:1 favorite.
– Same as above.
– I see FightNews added these bouts to their schedule…..
I’ll be watching the Ennis vs Villa fight as I do not have DAZN, but subscribe to SHO. Can’t go wrong either one, two solid fights. Boots vs. Ortiz, make it happen powerbrokers after they both come out victorious this weekend.
I think Stanionis – Ortiz has the potential to be a fight of the year candidate. That match has seemed cursed with all the postponements, but barring a blowout either way (which I don’t see happening but is possible), I don’t know how those two get together without it being a great fight.
Sooner or later one of the top guys at welterweight will have to face Ennis, now, if Ortiz defeat Stanionis many will be asking for Ortiz vs Ennis, exceopt Oscar DE La Hoya, no way that will happen.If not the Crawford vs Spence winner, but rather the winner of Thurman vs Ugas could be excellent
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