Watchtower Puts Residential Building At 107 Columbia Heights On Block

By on April 14, 2016 10:30 pm in Brooklyn Heights, News, Real Estate, Watchtower

The Real Deal reports that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are putting another of their Brooklyn Heights properties up for sale: the nine story, presently 161 unit residential building at 107 Columbia Heights, which sits at the southeast corner of Columbia Heights and Cranberry Street. The piece quotes Tucker Reed, of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, as estimating that the building could fetch around $154 million. BHB reader Andrew Porter posted this comment on the Real Deal story:

Really ugly modernist building with non-traditional window arrangement. The best thing going for it is the lovely garden and fountain entrance on the Columbia Heights side, which is the actual entrance.

Photo by moi for BHB.

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  • Andrew Porter

    Any conversion to residential use would have to change whatever is on the first and second floor, which I suspect are meeting rooms, perhaps dining halls.

    Or they could sell it to NYU, Brooklyn Law School, or the Scientologists…

  • EqualForAll

    The City should buy it and create some housing for the homeless. This is a good location because of the quick bus trip to the Manhattan shelters – and all of the subway lines.

  • R.O.Shipman

    You’re pretty funny..

  • R.O.Shipman

    I’ve always thought the city should be figuring out where schools can go in these Watchtower buildings. With the multi-purpose aspect of the buildings, there have to be some spaces ready made to be transformed into a school. Perhaps the first couple floors of this building, in conjunction with the courtyard, could be a good opportunity.

  • Jorale-man

    It’s funny, they’ve done a good job at putting lipstick on a pig with that nice garden entrance. And the place appears to be in tip-top condition (even the sidewalks are perfectly smooth around it). But the circa 1960 architecture is a permanent reminder of the damage that was done to the neighborhood before landmarking took place.

  • Willow Street Watch

    Again, the thing everybody should be asking is why the big move-out of the city became JW policy. This, no matter what they try to maintain, is a fairly recent decision finalized in the last decade. Sure, there were expandtion plans, but the accelerated move-out was a definitely more recent policy. Question is why the relocation and triggered the apparent move up of relocation activity?

  • Jeffrey Smith

    I spoke to a member of my family and he offered a VERY interesting sidelight. There are two apparent Heights residents who may be on the
    JW governing body. One individual directly states if you directly ask, that he is on the JW GB. Last week he was heard expressing ruefully the expected effects of the establishment of the AIIB bank by the Chinese. He further said he had strongly hedged his portfolio and was considering temporary withdrawal from trading. He and others who are self described as JW over the last few years have described beliefs that we are living in end times, and the “restoration” may be soon to start. Others who have also described themselves to me as JW’s have expresses the opinion that New York City is now unsafe….all this may shed light on what is happening