Planting a Seed for The Center at West Park

on 86th Street while enjoying the music of critically-acclaimed steel pan player Lyndon Achee. 
Also, join us beforehand from noon to 2pm for Love Your Street Tree Day - Spring Beautification & Cleanup Day!
About the Center
The Center at West Park is a landmark home for arts, culture, and community in the heart of Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The Center is a secular not-for-profit organization bringing innovative theater, dance, and music programming to the neighborhood, providing a creative home for local and international artists, and stewarding the preservation of the magnificent West Park Presbyterian Church.
History & Restoration
The West Park Presbyterian Church was built in 1889 and designated a New York City landmark on January 12, 2010. Designed by famed architects Leopold Eidlitz and Henry Kilburn, the building’s red sandstone facade, Tiffany windows, and soaring bell tower make it a unique example of the Romanesque Revival style and a historic focal point at the heart of the Upper West Side.
West Park has been a bastion for artists and activists throughout its history. The church supported early Chinese immigrants, civil rights leaders in the ‘50s and ‘60s, gay rights and the More Light movement in the ‘70s, God’s Love We Deliver and anti-nuclear proliferation marches in the ‘80s, and Occupy Wall Street in 2011-2012, while also making a home for the burgeoning New York Shakespeare Festival, the Riverside Shakespeare Company, Bread and Puppet Theater, and many more.
Like many churches, West Park fell on hard times. After the landmarking, a coalition of congregation members, neighbors, and arts professionals came together to form The Center at West Park to bring life back to the building and preserve its historic facade. Now, the Center is working with award-winning preservation architects to plan the restoration of this landmark building, and we need your help.
Preservation Plan
Phase 1: Community House Roof, 2018-2019
Phase 2: Restoration Showcase -- Tiffany Windows
Phase 3: Amsterdam Ave Facade
Phase 4: Bell Tower
Phase 5: Sanctuary Roof & 86th Street Facade
Performances & Events
Our 2018 Artist Residency Season has already  included over 70 performances by hundreds of artists for thousands of audience members. We’ve had Shakespeare, an immersive greek myth, and the story of one teenage girl’s part in the Civil RIghts movement, with more to come!
Upcoming
Object Movement Puppetry Festival, May 25-30A showcase of eight new pieces developed over a nine month residency at the Center, using techniques from Czech marionettes to Indian shadow puppetry to tell stories of ghosts and gods, woman-wolves and talking newts.
New Amsterdam Opera: La Favorite, June 2A king, his lover, her mistress: a star-crossed love triangle ensnares three hearts against the background of the Moorish invasion of Spain.
Inspire Choir: Voice Dance, June 8A concert celebrating the power of music to connect, heal, excite, uplift, and inspire in partnership with Sing for Hope.
Transformation Festival, June 9-11Three days of international music, talks, and healing with performers and thinkers from around the world.
Furnace Festival, August 3-25Four hot new plays, fresh from the oven, developed on site at the Center. Applications due June 8.
Tickets on sale at www.centeratwestpark.org/events.
Fall 2018 Season
The 2nd Annual Glitz & Grit Benefit - Date Announced Soon!Featuring local delicacies and performances by friends and resident artists of the Center
Vox Lumiere, September 6-22
Noche Flamenca, September 27 - October 29
Village Light Opera: Ruddigore, November 2 & 3
Kidz Theater, November 9-18
Hamlet Isn’t Dead: Julius Caesar, November 30 - December 15
Companies in Residence
The Center is houses the offices and rehearsal spaces of several renowned performing arts companies, including:
Noche Flamenca
Shen Wei Dance Arts
On SIte Opera
and starting June 2018, Russian Arts Theater & Studio
Who We Are
The mission of the Center is to build a more inclusive community in the Upper West Side neighborhood and all of New York City by presenting diverse, engaging, and boundary-pushing artistic and cultural programming; providing affordable performance, rehearsal, and event space to local artists and community members; and preserving the West Park Presbyterian Church’s historic edifice. The Center aims to create and maintain a vibrant cultural hub, a forum for conversations and connections that transcend barriers to address the important issues facing our society today.
Staff
Zachary Tomlinson, Executive & Artistic Director
Carrie Quarquesso, Office Coordinator
Nancy Barry, Development Consultant
Paloma Wake, Special Events Coordinator
David Shocket, Technical Director
Jessica Dyer & Madelyn Paquette, Arts Leadership Fellows
Board of Directors
Marian M. Warden, President
Marsha Flowers, Vice President
Theodore S. Berger, Treasurer
J. Pat O’Connell, Secretary
Rev. Dr. Robert Brashear
Don Frantz
Jennifer Rogers
Mitchell Schamroth
Susan Sullivan