Watchtower Divestment Continues: The Bossert on the Block
After putting six of its Brooklyn Heights properties on the market last spring, the Watchtower Group announced yesterday that it would also be selling one of its crown jewels in the area, the Bossert at 98 Montague Street. In its typical fashion, the religious organization didn’t set an asking price for the 14-story former hotel….
After putting six of its Brooklyn Heights properties on the market last spring, the Watchtower Group announced yesterday that it would also be selling one of its crown jewels in the area, the Bossert at 98 Montague Street. In its typical fashion, the religious organization didn’t set an asking price for the 14-story former hotel. Instead, it’s issuing a Request for Best Offer. Known as the “Waldorf Astoria of Brooklyn” in its day, the 200,000-square-foot building is currently divided into 224 apartments. Predictions for the sales price?
Good Lord! Watchtower Divesting Six Heights Props [Brownstoner] GMAP
$78 MM
I don’t think any of the Dodgers actually lived at the Bossert. O’Malley’s suites were used for parties and press interviews.
There’s a very good book by Michael Shapiro, The Last Good Season, which chronicles the run-up to the ’55 World Series, as well as the battle between Robert Moses and O’Malley. The Bossert is mentioned several times in the book.
10:45 again — think top 5-6 floors of Bossert have always been apartments and I wouldn’t be shocked if some players lived in them during the season and had “real” homes they went home to in the off season.
10:39 they rang my doorbell in Boerum Hill (Dean St) approx every other weekend in 2006. It was a garden unit, so your mileage may vary (which in this case is lucky for you).
I’ve asked a few witnesses about their faith. Apparently, they are just praying for the end of the world so they can live together as the post-apocalyptic chosen people. They have land in upstate New York where where the survivors are supposed to congregate after the world is destroyed and the second coming occurs (or so they say).
Apparently, they’ve also bought a lot of property in Jersey City/Hoboken area and are using the faithful as free labor (rather than licensed contractors) to do the work (I am guessing that they have their own architects, engineers, etc). This divestment has been in the works for years. They are leaving Brooklyn and moving to Jersey. Buy low, sell high, praise god.
The ‘funny’ thing about Witnesses is that while they really want to talk to you about their religion, when you question the morality of praying for everyone to die – they get really upset and aggressive. It’s kind of funny to watch them freak out and spout non-sequitur bible quotes when they can’t come up with any good argument to oppose this conundrum.
The best part is that they stopped ringing my doorbell after we had that discussion.
10:39
I think most of it was social like 10:45 infers. Enforcing discipline might have been part of it too – in the days before highways getting around wasn’t exactly quick. Keeping the team in the hotel the night before a game was probably a great way to ensure everyone got to the game.
Most didn’t live in hotels, but I know Babe Ruth and a few Yankees did live in the Grand Concourse Hotel. I’m pretty sure it was the same deal with the Dodgers and this hotel.
“10:34am
They still do that? What neighborhood?”
Crown Heights
oh god, NYU. I didn’t think of that. That would suck
150 million.
O’Malley, the Dodgers owner, kept a suite of rooms at the Bossert for entertaining. The Dodgers HQ was on Montague near Court.
At one time there was a rooftop club designed to look like the deck of an ocean liner.
Beautiful building. Hopefully NYU or the Scientologists won’t get their hands on it.