John's of Times Square

Description

In 1995, Madeline Castellotti had a vision. Where frightened visitors saw adult shops and violence, Madeline saw potential. It was then when she decided Times Square would be home to the world famous John's of Times Square. As she walked the Crossroads of the World, she was looking for a location that was as unique as her pizza. After stumbling upon an abandoned church on West 44th Street, where the homeless squatted and spray painted gang signs were apart of the décor, Madeline instantly saw the beauty of this old Gospel Tabernacle Church. During her initial tour of this location, the perfectly intact stained glass ceiling caught her attention. It was made up of 8 parts, all equal in size, just like a pizza pie. It was then that Madeline Castellotti knew this would be home to her dream, the most unique pizzeria in the world. As a hardworking single mother, Madeline waited until her children were grown to go after her own dreams. Madeline quit her job in Human Resources for a large law firm and put her heart and soul into converting this old church with authentic structure into what she had visualized. After two years of being hands on in this major construction, Madeline's vision came to light. She had not only constructed the most unique pizzeria, but also the largest pizzeria in the United States. In June of 1997, John's of Times Square opened its doors while Times Square was still recreating its image to be what it has become today. Since John's of Times Square's grand