It turns out that the headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses (also known as Jehovah’s Witnesses) was located for over 100 years in one of the most prestigious parts of Brooklyn: Brooklyn Heights, right next to the Brooklyn Bridge.
The history of the Jehovah’s Witnesses headquarters in Brooklyn
The religious organization was founded in 1881 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, under the name Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society, but by 1909 it had moved its headquarters to Brooklyn, taking advantage of easy access to international shipping routes. For an organization that printed and distributed millions of copies of literature in dozens of languages, proximity to the port was critically important.
Their first purchase was a house at 📍124 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201, where they installed a “watchtower” on the roof — later becoming the symbol of the organization. In 1896, the group was renamed the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, and in 1931 it adopted the now-familiar name Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The organization quickly expanded, acquiring or constructing dozens of buildings nearby: dormitories for volunteers, printing facilities, warehouses, and offices. In 1969, their holdings grew to include a massive former pharmaceutical factory (25–30 Columbia Heights), on whose roof they installed the famous red neon WATCHTOWER sign displaying the time and temperature.
The sign became one of the most recognizable elements of the Brooklyn skyline — it was visible from the Brooklyn Bridge and from Manhattan. Today, a more modest WELCOME sign is displayed instead. At their peak, they owned more than 37 properties across Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO.
About Jehovah’s Witnesses
This scale is not surprising, considering the organization published what was possibly the highest-circulation magazine in the world: 45 million copies in over 300 languages.
Interestingly, within the broader Christian world, Jehovah’s Witnesses rank only around 20th–25th in number of followers, yet they are extremely visible in the media. This is due to their publications, their active missionary work (door-to-door preaching), and also their controversial reputation regarding certain medical issues. There’s even a common opinion that very few people on the planet have never had members of this organization knock on their door with brochures in hand.
In 2011, Jehovah’s Witnesses began selling off their New York properties. In total, they completed confirmed sales worth more than $2.19 billion. It appears to have been the largest real estate transaction involving a religious organization in history.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses headquarters today
Their new headquarters is located in the wooded area of Warwick, NY, about 80 km northwest of Manhattan.
There is also a separate location, Watchtower, NY, about an hour and a half from Manhattan, which serves as an operational center for the organization.
