Upon moving to the Upper West Side, one wealthy new pastor (from 1879), Anson Phelps Atterbury (1855–1931), proposed a grand church in the hopes that the congregation would expand along with the rest of the neighborhood.

[1] The corner features a giant ribbed bell-domed belltower, which dominates the neighborhood and if not for the competing heights of apartment towers "would be one of the West Side's loveliest landmarks," according to the AIA Guide to NYC.

Their findings proposed the replacement of the complex with an eighteen- to twenty-three-story residential tower and a smaller new corner glass church, designed by the architectural firm of Franke, Gottsegen & Cox.

The architects described the design: "...the crisscrossing of the structure, like a canopy of trees, but you won't be able to see the top, which we think is an expression of sacredness," adding, "the sanctuary is very flexible and interfaith use is possible so that space can be shared with other denominations.

Its sanctuary would be raised to gallery level and fitted with movable seating; since divided windows already exist, the alteration would not be externally evident, leaving the commercially ideal ground floor for other uses, possibly social outreach or educational.

[11] The congregation moved to share space in 2008 with the neighboring Renaissance Revival-styled, Saints Paul and Andrew United Methodist Church (1897), protected as a city landmark and itself a product of a 1937 denominational merger.

[2][16][17] In April 2022, it was announced that the West-Park congregation would seek permission to demolish the building under the hardship provision of the New York Landmarks Law, citing their inability to provide or source funds for repairs.