Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Trump's Son-In-Law May Buy Jehovah's Witnesses' Huuuge Brooklyn HQ
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 14, 2016
Modified Apr 14, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 14, 2016
Modified Apr 14, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The new Trump WatchTower? (Photo by Dan Nguyen)
The Jehovah's Witnesses have been preparing for their exodus from Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO, and last year they put their enormous building on Columbia Heights on the market. A stone's throw from Brooklyn Bridge Park, the property—which sports that massive "WATCHTOWER" sign—sits on some coveted land. And now it's reportedly getting a new owner: Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who owns The Observer and is married to Ivanka and is hated by many of his tenants in the East Village.
According to the NY Post, there's a handshake deal with Kushner and developers Aby Rosen and Livwrk—"The pricing is roughly $700 million for the Witnesses’ 733,000-square-foot world headquarters at 25-30 Columbia Heights and a 1.1-million-square-foot as-of-right development site at 85 Jay St." The trio has purchased JW properties in the past, forming "Dumbo Heights" and building a tech-hub and "mixed-use urban campus." It's unclear what their intentions for the Watchtower would be, but the Brooklyn Paper notes that "the vacant lot at 85 Jay St. is one of the few spare tracts of land in the pricey ’hood zoned for residential use."
The properties are currently still listed as being for sale on the JW's real estate page. We've reached out to Robert Warren in their press office for more information and will update if we hear back.
Tagged
dumbo heights
jared kushner
jehovah's witnesses
real estate
the watchtower
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man found dead, police say, and injured woman is his mother, neighbors say
Police are investigating a related incident in which a 62-year-old woman was found injured beneath the Van Wyck Expressway.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 7:39 p.m. ET
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
News
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
Brooklyn school dean says MTA officers assaulted him over a $3 bus fare he says he paid
By
Carol Chen
National Grid customers in NYC will see higher gas bills this winter
By
Rosemary Misdary
Bruce Blakeman joins Gov. Hochul in support for expanding NY rape law
By
Jon Campbell
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .