A church struggle is Ruffalo-ing feathers at Metropolis Corridor.
Marvel actor Mark Ruffalo smashed his Hulk-sized star energy into the corridors of New York Metropolis’s authorities places of work Monday for a secret closed-door assembly.
Ruffalo and fellow actor Fisher Stevens held a covert confab with First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer as a part of a long-running, celebrity-backed struggle to cease the demolition of West-Park Presbyterian Church, a Nineteenth-century church on the Higher West Aspect, sources confirmed to The Put up.
The structure aficionado thespians made a short in Room 9, the Metropolis Corridor press room, the place they posed in entrance of Put up and New York Each day Information entrance pages that includes large headlines made since Mayor Eric Adams took workplace.
“Holy s–t, is that ‘Brief Circuit’s’ Fisher Stevens?” gasped one reporter, referring to the 1986 comedy through which the white actor regretfully donned brownface to play an Indian character.
“I’m starstruck,” one other mentioned as Ruffalo toured the constructing.
In addition to reporters’ rumblings, the Ruffalo go to in any other case drew little or no hullabaloo inside Metropolis Corridor itself.
The closed-door assembly with Torres-Springer coated a heated dispute between preservationists and builders over the destiny of West-Park Presbyterian Church, mentioned Metropolis Corridor officers and Councilwoman Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan), who additionally attended the summit.
Because the West 86th Road church’s congregation dwindled to a mere dozen trustworthy, they sought to promote the historic construction to a developer to keep away from a $50 million restoration invoice.
To take action, they submitted a “hardship” software — which they ultimately withdrew — to strip its landmark standing and clear the best way for demolition.
The transfer prompted a lawsuit and a struggle by a neighborhood nonprofit — supported by a laundry checklist of stars, together with Ruffalo, Stevens, Matt Damon, Amy Schumer and Matt Dillon — to boost funds to protect the positioning.
Brewer, who helped landmark the constructing, disputed that it’s past restore.
“The constructing shouldn’t be falling aside,” she mentioned. “I used to be there two nights in the past. Stunning, not falling aside. It does want cash for the roof, which we’ve, after which we will take the scaffolding off.
“We may use some assist with the Presbyterian, that’s why we had been right here in the present day.”
The Middle at West Park’s govt director Debby Hirshman informed The Put up they’re dedicated to preserving the constructing.
“Now we have mirrored that this landmark constructing is secure and economically viable to help itself and its upkeep,” she mentioned.
“[It] is an anchor to higher Manhattan.”
Metropolis Corridor spokeswoman Liz Garcia confirmed to The Put up that the celebs met with solely Torres-Springer, including that officers are working with each events to discover a resolution.
“He was so good, we weren’t anticipating an Avenger to come back into the workplace,” Garcia mentioned about Ruffalo.
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