Reading of ‘Chelsea Walls’ Is Latest Creative Effort to Save The Center at West Park

“If it wasn’t for this place, I wouldn’t live in New York,” bemoans a character from Chelsea Walls at a recent reading at the Center at West Park. “This place” is the infamous Hotel Chelsea, perhaps the most iconic and noteworthy landmark in that West Side neighborhood.

The groundbreaking screenplay, written by Nicole Burdette, debuted 34 years ago and was subsequently made into a critically acclaimed movie directed by Ethan Hawke. In mid-December, a cast hand-selected by Burdette staged a reading of the script at The Center at Park West on the Upper West Side.

The actors, in street clothes and ranging in age from approximately 12 to 70, carried their scripts for reference. But that didn’t detract from the magical and nimble performance given, on the unique and impressive stage of The Center. An immense stained-glass window provided a backdrop, reminiscent of the intricate stained-glass windows of the hotel.

The script focuses on a gritty Hotel Chelsea radically different from its current iteration, spiffed up and ritzier than ever. But much like The Center, whose goal is “bringing the past together with the future,” according to Executive Director Debby Hirshman, Chelsea Walls celebrates the history of the hotel in a modern context. As such, The Center was a perfect venue for a revival reading.

Spaces like The Center at West Park are few and far between. Established in 2016 by a coalition of community members, it has functioned as a thriving intergenerational hub for the arts, committed to maintaining their affordability and accessibility to the neighborhood. The West Side Park Presbyterian Church was built in 1889 and landmarked in 2010. It is now the home of The Center, which still functions as an LGBTQ+-welcoming church on Sundays, but also as haven for the arts and the community. God’s Love We Deliver began its mission of delivering food to those living with AIDS within these hallowed walls as well, and the organization retains its spirit of inclusivity and artistic encouragement via a myriad of disciplines, including youth ballet, movies, stage productions, kids’ programs, and even pickleball. It serves as a fertile milieu for the community, “where developing artists can hone their craft,” proudly states Robert Feinstein of the Board of Directors for The Center, and performers of every degree of celebrity have been known to grace the stage, from Mark Ruffalo to Matt Dillon.

Shockingly, or perhaps not, given the current real estate climate, the unique and irreplaceable venue’s fate is in jeopardy. The church is potentially up for sale to yet another high-end-residential developer, completely negating it history and landmarked status, its awe-inspiring Romanesque Revival architecture, in addition to its cultural significance to the neighborhood. The fate of the center has been on shaky ground for some time, despite some major celebrities, including Damon and Ruffalo, having rallied to save it in recent years. Still, the building needs some fundamental renovations, more costly than can be easily handled by the 501(c)3 charity’s budget, and the church elders, unable to fund the multi-million-dollar repairs, want to sell it.

In Chelsea, City Council member Erik Bottcher recently secured $2 million in funding for RIALTO West at 705 10th Ave., which is described as a 5,500-square-foot performance, work and rehearsal space that may function in a similar capacity as The Center. But it will not replace The Center in the 136-year-old Church if The Center is lost. The city needs more accessible venues such as these to inspire and support a sense of community throughout the boroughs, and far less elitist luxury residential development. Even if RIALTO comes to fruition, it would not replace The Center at Park West. Like the line from Chelsea Walls, “They stay at the [Hotel] Chelsea because it’s the only place where people will still listen to them.” Sometimes people need a physical place to be, be heard and be seen. That is how The Center at Park West serves, as should RIALTO, and the city can’t afford to lose these treasures.