From Strip Club to Sanctuary: How a Troubled Anchorage Building Became a Baptist Church

• A former strip club, Fantasies on 5th near downtown Anchorage, has become Open Door Baptist Church.
• The club closed after a lawsuit over unpaid wages and liquor licence problems and sat empty for two years.
• The main stage has been turned into a dais for the pastor, with new flooring and cross beams.
• The building sits across from Merrill Field, on a busy route near the Glenn Highway.

A building with a troubled past near downtown Anchorage has been given a very different future. The Anchorage Daily News, carrying a report originally published by Alaska Public Media, told how the former Fantasies on 5th strip club became Open Door Baptist Church.

The club closed after a lawsuit over unpaid wages and problems with its liquor licence, and the building sat empty for two years; when it was rediscovered, it was still decorated for Halloween. It stands across from Merrill Field. Realtor Mike Gailey said: “My initial thought was, this ought to be a church.” He added: “It was kind of a redemption story. And I knew churches, Christians, they love that story.” Another realtor, Nate Baer, pointed to its commercial strengths: “Well, you have the traffic count. You have the stages, you have the poles.”

Property developer Linda Dunegan had a personal reason for wanting the building: “I said, ‘Do you know why I want to buy this place? It’s because my mother was a stripper.'” She added: “It was very hard for me to see those strip poles.”

The renovation turned the main stage into a well-lit dais for the pastor, with laminate flooring and dark cross beams. Pastor Kenny Menendez said: “It is a fast change of life, but you know, the things that are impossible for man are possible with God.” The report did not give the price.

Commercial buildings on busy roads can suit churches well: they have visibility, parking and large open rooms. In Jamaica, too, congregations often find homes in former shops, cinemas, clubs and warehouses. Before converting such a building, a church should check that the planning permission allows worship, whether the structure needs upgrading for large gatherings, and what the building’s past might mean for neighbours. The Anchorage story shows that, with the right work, almost any building can be made fit for worship.

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