A Century of the Brooklyn Bethel
August 28, 2020 11:09 AM Subscribe
In 1908, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society purchased two five-story brownstones and a church in Brooklyn, New York. This collection of buildings (along with numerous other neighboring properties purchased over the years) would serve as the headquarters for the Jehovah's Witnesses for over a century. Brownstoner has a history of the headquarters written at the time of the massive property's sale in 2016 to everyone's least favorite son-in-law (the Jehovah's Witnesses moved their operation upstate to Warwick). Earlier this year, as part of the effort to transform this secretive compound into an office and retail complex, walls that once locked the property up tight were torn down and eleven elaborate gardens were planted facing out to the street.
Are those trees surrounded by concrete? Won't they just die when they age out of the tiny hole?
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 1:17 PM on August 28, 2020
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 1:17 PM on August 28, 2020
Ah, the Watchtower. I used to get their mini-magazine when I was in high school. It filled me with what was apparently misinformation about Jehovah's Witnesses.
The big sign is one of many iconic landmarks visible from the subway that have vanished, like Kentile Floors.
posted by grumpybear69 at 1:18 PM on August 28, 2020 [2 favorites]
The big sign is one of many iconic landmarks visible from the subway that have vanished, like Kentile Floors.
posted by grumpybear69 at 1:18 PM on August 28, 2020 [2 favorites]
Are those trees surrounded by concrete? Won't they just die when they age out of the tiny hole?
Looks like gravel to me. I suppose I could pop over and check tomorrow! Not like I'm doing anything else.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:53 PM on August 28, 2020 [1 favorite]
Looks like gravel to me. I suppose I could pop over and check tomorrow! Not like I'm doing anything else.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:53 PM on August 28, 2020 [1 favorite]
Awesome find Alonzo and thanks for posting.
The trees are (probably) growing within tree-pits (discrete zones with good soil and drainage) set with within a type of 'structural soil' that enables root growth while reducing pavement uplift. There is probably a concrete framework as well to direct tree roots. There are hundreds of struct. soil recipes depending on aims.
I'd expect courtyard surface to be either water-bound limechip (maybe - but right grades are hard to obtain) or more likely resin-bound gravel (looking at 7th image down on Terrains' page, I'm quite sure it's resin) which is designed to break away as a tree trunk grows outwards. This avoids expensive, and anti-pedestrian tree gratings that aren't good for tree growth either. But it's no nicer than concrete, nasty to work with, and depends on mineral oil - altho' I have found a way to do it using linseed oil.
Steven Tupu - Terrain_NYC's director spoke the the 2008 NZ landscape conf. and was a standout amidst a sea of stuffiness and tradition. Terrain has several kiwi LA's and the Panorama's images feel distinctly NZ - clean, unadorned, material-honesty.
posted by unearthed at 8:44 PM on August 28, 2020 [1 favorite]
The trees are (probably) growing within tree-pits (discrete zones with good soil and drainage) set with within a type of 'structural soil' that enables root growth while reducing pavement uplift. There is probably a concrete framework as well to direct tree roots. There are hundreds of struct. soil recipes depending on aims.
I'd expect courtyard surface to be either water-bound limechip (maybe - but right grades are hard to obtain) or more likely resin-bound gravel (looking at 7th image down on Terrains' page, I'm quite sure it's resin) which is designed to break away as a tree trunk grows outwards. This avoids expensive, and anti-pedestrian tree gratings that aren't good for tree growth either. But it's no nicer than concrete, nasty to work with, and depends on mineral oil - altho' I have found a way to do it using linseed oil.
Steven Tupu - Terrain_NYC's director spoke the the 2008 NZ landscape conf. and was a standout amidst a sea of stuffiness and tradition. Terrain has several kiwi LA's and the Panorama's images feel distinctly NZ - clean, unadorned, material-honesty.
posted by unearthed at 8:44 PM on August 28, 2020 [1 favorite]
I used to live within walking distance of the Watchtower. The solicitation was unreal.
posted by 1adam12 at 8:47 PM on August 28, 2020
posted by 1adam12 at 8:47 PM on August 28, 2020
the witnesses are sort of interesting in that if you were to arrange all the world’s religions on a line from extremely culty to definitely not culty, they’d be the first group on the definitely-a-cult side of the line. cause they’re definitely a cult, they’re just a really boring cult. like, “what if beige were a religion, but, like, not cool hip beige, you know, we follow a really beige beige, one of those beiges with layers of cigarette-smoke yellowing that’s been on it since the 70s. “god’s coming,” they say, “he’s coming to kill us all, quick, everyone, get in the beige room!”
well also everyone is obligated to cover up for all the child molestation that happens in the beige room but never mind that.
also their literature is fun because it’s got a sort of email scammer vibe to it, like it’s deliberately badly written to make sure that only the markiest of marks falls for it.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 8:58 PM on August 28, 2020 [7 favorites]
well also everyone is obligated to cover up for all the child molestation that happens in the beige room but never mind that.
also their literature is fun because it’s got a sort of email scammer vibe to it, like it’s deliberately badly written to make sure that only the markiest of marks falls for it.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 8:58 PM on August 28, 2020 [7 favorites]
I live somewhat nearby and it has been interesting to watch the transformation -- though those Kushner-bought buildings seemed half-empty before the pandemic (not to mention one was a giant WeWork) so not sure who is going to rent the office space now. I wonder if they'll ultimately push for residential rezonings.
The former JW building I'm most interested in is the old Bossert Hotel, which is been under construction and on-the-verge-of-opening for years now, but still hasn't.
Meanwhile, I recommend this podcast, which is about sexual abuse in the Jehovah’s Witnesses (interesting in and of itself), but also has an interview (and tour of the neighborhood) with a former member who worked at the HQ and gives a good explanation of what it as like inside -- including the tunnels.
posted by retrograde at 9:17 PM on August 28, 2020 [3 favorites]
The former JW building I'm most interested in is the old Bossert Hotel, which is been under construction and on-the-verge-of-opening for years now, but still hasn't.
Meanwhile, I recommend this podcast, which is about sexual abuse in the Jehovah’s Witnesses (interesting in and of itself), but also has an interview (and tour of the neighborhood) with a former member who worked at the HQ and gives a good explanation of what it as like inside -- including the tunnels.
posted by retrograde at 9:17 PM on August 28, 2020 [3 favorites]
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