The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is reviewing a rebuttal from the West Park Presbyterian Church at 165 West 86th Street on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The filing, submitted by counsel for the West Park Administrative Commission, responds to opposition raised by The Center at West Park and addresses claims concerning financial feasibility, transferable development rights, and the statutory hardship standards under the landmarks law. The Church has a binding contract to sell the landmarked property to Alchemy Properties contingent upon LPC approval of the hardship application. The property is located at the corner of West 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.
The rebuttal challenges assertions that the Church failed to satisfy the statutory “reasonable return” requirement, arguing that the opposition’s return on investment analysis relies on an expired lease and speculative income assumptions. According to the submission, the landmarks law requires evaluating whether the building would be capable of earning a reasonable return if not tax-exempt, based on market-based income and expense assumptions. The filing also disputes claims that potential sales of transferable development rights (TDRs) could offset restoration costs, stating that identified receiving sites are not viable candidates for air rights transfers even under the “City of Yes” zoning amendments.
West Park Presbyterian Church, via Google Maps.
In addition, the Church disputes arguments that it created its own hardship by declining a 2025 proposal from The Center at West Park to enter into a new short-term lease and fund façade repairs. The rebuttal describes the offer as financially unsupported and inconsistent with the Church’s existing contract of sale. The submission also addresses the building’s physical condition, contending that substantial exterior restoration and code compliance work are required to generate market rents sufficient to meet LPC’s hardship criteria.
Transit near the church includes the 86th Street subway stations, served by the B and C trains at Central Park West and the 1 train at Broadway.
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This is insane. End this clown show already.
This is a nice Romanesque Revival building in one of my favorite styles. Unfortunatley, there is a declining need for church buildings and many are up for sale. Others, such as this, have congregations too small to maintain the structure. The interior is relatively plain and not important. The usual alterations in cases such as this are carving out apartments in the existing structure, building a tall building inside the outer walls, or demolition. The first might not bring in enough income to pay for repairs. The second usally defaces the appearance, and the last a loss. Situations like this are difficult.
I’m afraid its sunken corner premise is pushing for redevelopment.
Save the facade and tower, build a new residential tower inside the walls with the amenity spaces utilizing the church windows. This can be done.
Please let them sell this church before it completely crumbles.
This place has been falling apart for way over a decade. People are afraid to walk on the adjacent sidewalks.
Congregation has a half dozenembers. The theater/arts group that wants to take over has negligible income.
Tear down this eyesore already.
Salvage whatever materials can be reused and demolish the rest.
Beautiful structures like this will never come back. There must be something that can be done to use it. If this thinking continues, NYC will become a collection of glass boxes.
no no and no
you dont get to tear it down because you didnt maintain it.
rewarding bad behavior.
I dont care if it doesn’t fit the narrative of the evil greedy landlord.
The church had the same obligation and can still sell – yes for less – as it is not a development site.
selling and signing a contract at an inflated price per square foot of development of a landmark property – shows unclean hands by all involved. Shame on the developer too. – who demolished the lovely Calvary church on 57th street just recently.
They also demolished a really nice pre-war building on 58th between 9th and 10th about a decade ago for new construction a decade ago.
it should be re-used.
See Limelight, 96th and CPW church and all over brownstone Brooklyn,
According to the church, the nonprofit that opposes demolition was created by the church for the purpose of restoring and maintaining the building.
Demolition by poverty. Designating this building 15 years ago was a mistake when there was no hope for finding any tenants with the ability to pay sufficient rent to maintain and restore the building. 15 years and no progress- time to move on.