NEW YORK—On August 3, 2016, Jehovah’s Witnesses officially closed on the sale of their former world headquarters facility, located at 25/30 Columbia Heights in Brooklyn, New York. The sale, to a partnership of Kushner Companies and LIVWRK, represents one of the Witnesses’ most significant steps in the move of their world headquarters to a new, custom-built facility in Warwick, New York.

The approximately 733,608-gross-square-foot (approx. 68,154 sq m) property covers almost two city blocks and is uniquely situated between three historic districts, Brooklyn Heights, Fulton Ferry, and Dumbo. The sale also includes three buildings connected to 25/30 Columbia Heights: 50 Columbia Heights, 58 Columbia Heights, and 55 Furman Street, all of which predate the nearby Brooklyn Bridge.

The property at 25/30 Columbia Heights was formerly owned by the pharmaceutical company E.R. Squibb & Sons, now part of Bristol-Myers Squibb. The signature time and temperature marquee atop the 30 Columbia Heights roof has been a fixture of the Brooklyn skyline for decades, and the sign formerly reading “Squibb” has read “Watchtower” since the Witnesses purchased the buildings in 1969. Richard Devine, a spokesman for the Witnesses, explains the initial objectives of the purchase: “We needed more space to accommodate our rapidly expanding operations, and we wanted to consolidate our offices, which at the time were scattered among several buildings in Brooklyn.”

David A. Semonian, a spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses at their world headquarters, states: “25/30 Columbia Heights will always be part of our legacy as well as the rich history of Brooklyn.”

Media Contact:

David A. Semonian, Office of Public Information, 1-718-560-5000