Jared Kushner’s firms are in the news for a variety of reasons. One of those companies is the family-owned Kushner Companies, which is a U.S. real estate developer and lender in New York that Jared once headed prior to becoming senior adviser to President Donald Trump. However, with the Kushner name still attached, Kushner Companies’ actions are still viewed through the lens of Jared as a one-time figurehead.
Such is the case of the real estate firm’s coming move, which will be to remove the iconic Watchtower sign that glows red and can be viewed from Lower Manhattan’s shores to the Brooklyn Bridge. As reported by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, the Watchtower sign sits on top of the former world headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Brooklyn Heights like a beacon or a signpost to those who are used to seeing the crimson sign as some sort of travel marker. The publication notes that folks used to seeing the Watchtower sign should soak up the view before it is gone.
As seen in the below photos, the Watchtower sign is shown at dusk from a New York City ferry, as well as from the Pier 1 ferry dock from Brooklyn Bridge Park. The huge letters stand 15 feet tall each, with the current time displayed in red atop the Watchtower wording. However, the 25-30 Columbia Heights address is now owned by Kushner Cos., CIM Group and LIVWRK.
See the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ headquarters sign before Kushner Cos. removes it https://t.co/AXzEtCVc4A pic.twitter.com/gA56yD1CUA
— Brooklyn Eagle (@BklynEagle) November 29, 2017
Kushner Companies have spent a pretty penny to turn the former Watchtower property into Panorama, an office complex with space for offices, retail stores and public venues to celebrate culture and arts. It is not yet known what sign will go in place of the Watchtower wording on top of the building. According to the Brooklyn Eagle , New York City Finance Department records reveal that $340 million was paid for the previous headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, while Kushner Cos. along with a variety of investment partners spent approximately $1 billion to purchase properties from the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have been selling property after moving world headquarters to upstate Warwick, New York.
As seen in the below photo from 2015, the Watchtower sign is shown atop the Brooklyn borough of New York near the Brooklyn waterfront.
