The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the Jehovah’s Witnesses to its friends, has sold 50 Orange Street for $7.1 million. It and two Columbia Heights properties were put on the block in August: Continue Reading →
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Brooklyn Heights’ Rabbi Simcha Says No Gelt, No Glory
Sometimes it just feels like life is all nun and shin but no gimel. This is especially true during heated games of dreidel during Chanukah. Rabbi Simcha Weinstein (@rabbisimcha) of Congregation B’nai Avraham in Brooklyn Heights shares his double secret super dreidel powers: Continue Reading →
Kingdom Come: NYT on Bossert Hotel in Brooklyn Heights
The New York Times reports on the Bossert Hotel, currently owned by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. The piece discusses how members of the religion, known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, become eligible for a stay in Brooklyn’s “Waldorf”. It also covers the fact that the Watchtower plans to move out of Brooklyn Heights over the next few years and how the sale of the Bossert plays into that.
The Brooklyn Heights Association’s executive director Judy Stanton cautions that Watchtower property sales may cause a major issue in the area. “Right now, we don’t have the schools capacity to support an influx of residents with children,” she says.
But most interestingly is this passage about some “regular” folk who still live there: Continue Reading →
Veteran of Anti-Apartheid Struggle to Preach at St. Ann’s Church Sunday
Father Michael Lapsley, who lost an eye and both hands during the struggle against apatheid in South Africa, and who founded the Institute for the Healing of Memories, will preach at the 11:00 a.m. service this Sunday, October 30, at the Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity, corner of Clinton and Montague Streets (enter from Clinton). The Rev. Nell Archer, of St. Ann’s, gives us these details: Continue Reading →
To Serve Man: The Eagle on the Watchtower’s Slow Move Out
The Brooklyn Eagle sheds some light on the realities of the Watchtower’s planned move out of Brooklyn Heights to upstate Warwick, N.Y. A spokesperson for the group says the move won’t happen “anytime soon” as they’re still waiting for approval to construct more buildings.
One interesting passage closes the piece by Linda Collins regarding the group’s involvement in their rural community: Continue Reading →
Reasons to Get Excited About Watchtower Property Sale
Crain’s NY Business writes about how our local electeds and others are already licking their chops over the potential buyers, uses and tax revenue resulting from the sale of the Watchtower properties in Brooklyn Heights. Continue Reading →
Blessing of the Animals at Grace Church
Today was the Feast of St. Francis, and Grace Church celebrated with a blessing of the animals at the 5:00 p.m. service. Here the Rector, the Rev. Stephen Muncie, administers a blessing–holy water delivered via a dogwood sprig–to Wellington, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, held by proud owner Stacey Mankoff. More photos and text after the jump. Continue Reading →
Brooklyn Heights Synagogue Open House Sunday
This Sunday, September 18, the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, 131 Remsen Street (between Clinton and Henry) will hold an open house and learning workshops in preparation for the High Holy Days. A study session with the Rabbi will start at 10:00 a.m., followed by High Holy Days workshops (“fun for the whole family”) from 11:15 to 12:30 p.m. Immediately after, lunch, featuring delicacies from Shelsky’s Smoked Fish, will be served (I’m tempted to show up for this, and I’m not Jewish). All day, you may explore membership, the religious school, the Judaica shop, the women’s homeless shelter, and events and committees. All free and open to the public. For more information, call 718-522-2070.
Interfaith Gathering on Brooklyn Heights Promenade Marks Tenth Anniversary of September 11 Attacks
At 12:30 yesterday afternoon there was a gathering on the Promenade to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Cnter, the Pentagon, and the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. Above, The Rev. Al Bunis, of Plymouth Church, reads a portion of the Beatitudes, from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5, verses 1-9. More videos and text after the jump. Continue Reading →
Reminder: St. Ann’s Church to Commemorate 9/11 This Sunday Afternoon
As we previously reported, the Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity, at Clinton and Montague Streets, will host “Sanctuary STILL” this coming Sunday afternoon, September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. The Church has provided the following details about the event:
On Sunday, September 11, 2011, at 3:00 p.m., St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church will host Sanctuary STILL, a community event to honor the spirit of Brooklyn and its particular perspective on our nation’s loss, recovery, and renewal ten years after the attack and destruction of the World Trade Center. The church is located at the corner of Montague and Clinton Streets in Brooklyn Heights. Continue Reading →
Goodbye Pilgrims, Plymouth Church Rocks It Old School
Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, the historic Brooklyn Heights institution on Orange Street announced today that is returning to its original name. The congregation will now be known as Plymouth Church, just as it was when the legendary Henry Ward Beecher preached there.
“Of the Pilgrims” was added in 1934 when Plymouth merged with the now defunct Church of the Pilgrims on Remsen Street (it is now the Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Cathedral).
Why the change and new logo? Read the full press release after the jump. Continue Reading →
St. Ann’s Church to Hold 9/11 Memorial Event
Sunday, September 11 will be the tenth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, and on that day, starting at 3:00 p.m., St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church, at Clinton and Montague streets, will host “a community event to honor the spirit of Brooklyn and its particular perspective on our nation’s loss, recovery, and renewal.”
SANCTUARY STILL will include spoken word, music, and video presentations. Presenters will include elected officials, first responders from the fire and police departments, Brooklyn-based authors, faith leaders, and community members. Music will be provided by the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, the String Orchestra of Brooklyn, Grace and Spiritus Chorale of Brooklyn, and St. Ann’s Choir. Continue Reading →
Brooklyn Paper Ponders Brooklyn Bridge “Park” Plan
The Brooklyn Paper weighs in on the latest scheme to fund Brooklyn Bridge Park:
Brooklyn Paper: The deal calls for the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society’s holdings in Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO to be rezoned for residential use — a change that real-estate experts believe will send the value of the Society’s properties well north of $1 billion.
“If they put them on the market now, they’ll be sold very quickly,” said Downtown real-estate broker Chris Havens.
The deal between Mayor Bloomberg and state officials will reduce the amount of luxury condos inside Brooklyn Bridge Park by capturing property taxes from the Watchtower properties after they are sold. The money will be diverted from the city general fund to pay for maintaining the world-class park at the foot of two wealthy neighborhoods — and that has green advocates seeing red.
Brooklyn Heights realtor Donald Brennan pondered the worth of the Watchtower portfolio in a BHB guest post last summer.
3 Watchtower Properties on the Block
Realtor Massey Knakal announced via press release this afternoon that they have been retained to sell 3 properties owned by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in Brooklyn Heights. The buildings are 50 Orange Street, 183 Columbia Heights and 161 Columbia Heights. The three properties combined are being valued at $18.45 million dollars. They’ll be sold separately. Continue Reading →
Park Consultants Submit Final Report on Housing Alternatives
Bay Area Economics (“BAE”), the consultants hired by the board of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation to study alternatives to housing in the park as sources of funding for park operations and maintenance, have submitted the final version of their report to the board’s Committee on Alternatives to Housing. The full text of the report can be found through a link on the Corporation’s website. The Report makes no specific recommendations concerning whether or not to build housing, but simply evaluates the revenue, and the risks concerning availbility of such revenue, that can be anticipated from various sources that were suggested and studied as alternatives to revenue from housing, and which the Committee deemed to be in accordance with the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) under which the city agreed to take responsibility for construction, operation, and maintenance of the park; in particular, that no funds (other than payments in lieu of taxes, “PILOTs”, on the housing and hotel planned to be built on park land) that would otherwise accrue to the city’s general revenues would be diverted for park use. Continue Reading →
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Brooklyn Bugle
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Movie Preview
The Brooklyn Bugle presents Heather Quinlan's If These Knishes Could Talk (work in progress) screening at the Brooklyn Heights Cinema on February 9.
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