The Presbytery of New York City has announced plans to create a new endowment of up to $30 million, the West Park Presbyterian Church Social Justice Fund, using proceeds from the potential sale of the historic West Park Presbyterian Church. But there's a key contingency: It first needs permission to raze the crumbling Upper West Side mainstay.
If approved, the long-sought sale could increase the Presbytery’s funding for social programs across the city by 350%, with the endowment providing as much as $900,000 annually to support food aid, housing, immigrant services and educational programs in underserved neighborhoods, according to church leaders.
The church at 165 W. 86th St. has been a longtime local hub for activism and community service — from fighting anti-Chinese bigotry in the 1