A Brief History

Calvary Baptist Church began in 1847 as an independent Baptist church. First services were held in the Coliseum at 450 Broadway, New York, under the name of Hope Chapel Baptist Church. In 1852, the erection of a new church edifice on 23rd Street began, and services were held in the new sanctuary in 1854, when the church was renamed Calvary Baptist Church.

Approximately 10 years later, the inroads of commerce in the 23rd Street area and the unsatisfactory accommodations made desirable the purchase of new property on 57th Street, near Sixth Avenue. Services began there in a new sanctuary on December 23, 1883. Eventually, the need arose to replace the existing facilities at this location, and the vision of a church-hotel complex in the heart of Manhattan became a steel-and-concrete reality in 1931. The reception area for the church offices is located in Room 507, fifth floor of the Hotel Salisbury.

From this strategic pulpit, Calvary's pastors have shown a spiritual leadership, progressive vision, and evangelistic zeal that have made Calvary known throughout the world as the voice of evangelism in New York City. The heart of Calvary's message can be found carved above its portals: "We Preach Christ Crucified, Risen, and Coming Again."

Calvary's Senior Pastors

1847-1849 David Bellamy
1850-1852 John Dowling
1852-1863 A. D. Gillette
1864-1869 R. J. W. Buckland
1870-1911 Robert Stuart MacArthur
1915-1917 Joseph W. Kemp
1918-1929 John Roach Straton
1930-1934 Will H. Houghton
1936-1949 William Ward Ayer
1950-1957 John Summerfield Wimbish
1959-1973 Stephen F. Olford
1976-1986 Donald R. Hubbard
1989-1994 James O. Rose, Jr.
1997-Present David Paul Epstein