Editor’s note — Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been highlighting the fight to save Park Church Co-op from being torn down by real estate developers. Park Church Co-op has served as more than just a religious institution in our neighborhood — it was a space where the community could come together and dance, volunteer, listen to music and enjoy each other’s company. You can read a community member’s recent op-ed here, and get caught up on the long-standing fight to save the church here and here.
Locals have shared some of their favorite Park Church Co-op memories with us. Below, a concert promoter reminisces about their favorite musical moments in the church.
AdHoc Presents helped throw concerts at the Park Church Co-op from about 2017 – 2019. We presented a lot of concerts there over the years.
I first got to know the Park Church Co-op (and it’s lovely Pastor Amy and regular staff) at the Alex G concert we presented in the space.
I have many wonderful memories from this space. One of my all time favorites was ambient new-age artist Laraaji at Park Church Co-op. That really felt like a special show. The shows we threw with Grouper and Joan Shelley at that space were really wonderful as well. I should also shout-out the time we threw an instrumental metal show there too. 😉
To my knowledge, once Pastor Amy moved onto a new parish, the new pastor who took her place was no longer interested in working with us to host concerts in the space. It’s a shame, as it’s one of my all time favorite NYC spaces that I’ve seen concerts in.
AdHoc is still promoting concerts in the NYC area, as well as operating as a creative agency for marketing & special event services. I would love to see the Park Church be a fully functional concert venue with a full calendar of upcoming music events. Places like the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever in LA and the Central Presbyterian Church in Austin are great examples where concert booking in a sacred space is solidified to be a legit and meaningful operation!
MORGAN SCHAFFNER is the marketing director at AdHoc presents, a Brooklyn-based concert promoter and publication built by a community of music lovers with a shared ethos: that of building the world you want to see using the materials at your disposal.