Jehovah’s Witnesses Puts 5 More Properties on Market

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Continuing a trend, the Jehovah’s Witnesses (also known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society) has selected a private brokerage firm to handle the sale of five more of its properties in Brooklyn Heights.

 

In early August, the Eagle reported that Massey Knakal Realty Services would handle the sale of three of the religious organization’s Heights buildings — at 50 Orange St. and 161 and 183 Columbia Heights. This time, The Corcoran Group Brooklyn will handle the sales and marketing efforts for five additional properties.

 

First reported on Curbed.com, then in The New York Times in Sunday’s real estate section, and confirmed by the Watchtower on Monday, the five new listings have a combined value of $18.8 million. According to Ellen Newman, a senior vice president at Corcoran, who is handling sales and marketing on an exclusive basis along with Lisa Detwiler, the properties will be marketed separately.

 

“They [the Watchtower] are a pleasure to work with,” Newman told the Eagle Monday, noting that she has been working with their representatives since November.

 

“The properties are beautiful and in excellent condition and well priced, and all of them are vacant or will be delivered vacant,” she added. She and Detwiler have been showing them individually by appointment but plan a broker preview later this week and open houses for the public in the near future.

 

They are described as follows:

 

• 34 Orange St., a four-story 3,040-square-foot townhouse with two residential units, has an asking price of $3.5 million.

 

• 67 Remsen St., a five-story building currently configured as nine studio apartments plus one commercial office studio, has an asking price of $3.6 million

 

• 76 Willow St., a three-story building with three residential units, has an asking price of $3.6 million.

 

• 105 Willow St., a five-story 4,755-square-foot building with five apartments, has an asking price of $3.6 million. The Watchtower community was awarded a certificate of merit from the Landmarks Preservation Commission for this building’s “superior exterior restoration,” according to Newman.

 

• 165 Columbia Heights, a two-story carriage house currently with two residential units, has an asking price of $4.5 million.

 

As the Eagle has reported, the Watchtower is selling buildings because of a planned move of its world headquarters from Brooklyn to Warwick, N.Y.