Lofty vision for bldg. Watchtower site may soon be up for sale
By MELISSA GRACE DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
A giant waterfront building owned by the Jehovah's Witnesses in Brooklyn Heights could soon go on the block - with an early estimated price tag of $120 million. The potential sale of the nearly 1 million-square-foot building at 360 Furman St., a structure that many expect would be converted to luxury lofts, has local Realtors abuzz. If its not to cover the cost for child abuse litagation I will be surprised. Pepper
There've been a few threads discussing this already.
The sale of the building is actually related to their move upstate. I think the move has been planned for some time. Over the past twenty to thirty years, the Brooklyn Heights area has changed from a run-down industrial area to a pricey residential one. Anyone with half a brain who knows the NY real estate market (including most Witnesses in NY) would realize that it doesn't make economic sense for the Society to stay in Brooklyn.
So I think it's a sensible business decision that's been long planned. I doubt that it's a response to current exigencies.
Hehehehe!!! .....Maybe they are scared of their own prophesyingTM....especially their own proclamation that NY is going to be flooded over because of Global Warming!!!
And MAYBE....just maybe....they don't wish to be the next 9/11 disaster, since it was initiated by opposing religious fanatics who would find the WT-BATS complex in Brooklyn Heights a VERY tempting target....
I don't care what you say, if you think the WT is not going to have their ass's suit up the Wazo then your nuts. Case in point is the Catholics, if just 10% of the people that have been abused and were successful in litagation can you imagine the amount of bookoo bucks that would be? I foret the number of abuse victims that have been recorded, but I know that 10% of them would bring them down.
At this point, I don't think the Watchtower has any intentions of making a financial settlement in these cases of sexual abuse. From every indication, the Society is fighting "tooth and nail" to distance itself from any responsibility whatsoever. I think the selling of Watchtower property is done solely for its own benefit. The current trend of the past few years seems to indicate a diversification of its operations. This seems to be just one more effort to do so.
It is interesting that this is just the opposite view of a few years ago. Then, centralization was the trend. The old Gilead property was sold. And the school was brought down to Brooklyn. It makes one wonder whether this reflects the changing makeup of the organization. The Governing Body no longer is involved with the day to day operations of the work at Bethel. Committees have been appointed to direct this work. So, the actual operations no longer need to be centered near the "powers that be."
A giant waterfront building owned by the Jehovah's Witnesses in Brooklyn Heights could soon go on the block - with an early estimated price tag of $120 million.