Rally to Save Washington Heights Senior Center Planned

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Elected officials are inviting the Washington heights community to rally in support of a Washington Heights senior center that may be forced to close its doors.

Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez and Congressional Nominee Adriano Espaillat have planned a rally outside the ARC XVI Senior Center on 4111 Broadway for Thursday, September 8th at 1 p.m.

The senior center, founded in 1973, is in a dire situation. It's landlord, Christ Church United Methodist, said it would not renew the center's lease, DNAinfo reported in May. The center's executive director, Fern Hertzberg, told DNAinfo that she received a letter from the church detailing the plan not to renew the lease in April. Hertzberg had told the church the center had raised more than $60,000 to renovate the space.

“At first I wanted to cry,” Hertzberg told DNAinfo, “but then I started to contact everyone we know in the city for help.”

Photo: Courtesy of Community Board 12