Times Square Church is an Pentecostal congregation located at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on 237 West 51st Street in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. Times Square Church was founded by Pastor David Wilkerson in 1987, and bought the Mark Hellinger Theatre in 1991.
Church history
Times Square Church was founded by David Wilkerson in 1987. At the time, Times Square frequently hosted X-rated films and strip clubs, and prostitution and drug addiction were commonplace in the area. Wilkerson opened the church in response to what he described as "the physically destitute and spiritually dead people" he saw among the pimps, runaways and crack dealers who populated the area. Times Square Church briefly held its services at The Town Hall on 43rd Street in Manhattan and then in the Nederlander Theatre on 41st Street.
In February 1989, the Nederlander Organization leased the Mark Hellinger Theatre to Times Square Church. Times Square Church purchased the building from the Nederlander Organization for an undisclosed amount in 1991. At the time, the value of the building was estimated to be between $15million and $18 million. Upon its purchase, Pastor Donald W. Wilkerson, brother of David Wilkerson and one of the church leaders, declared that the theater would not be altered, saying, "The theater is landmarked and it will remain the same." It has 1,603 seats. Notable Broadway musicals that have played at the theater include My Fair Lady, Jesus Christ Superstar, and the Katharine Hepburn musical Coco.
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