EXPANSION OF PRINTING FACILITIES

This ever-increasing flow of Bible literature has called for continued expansion of the Watch Tower Society’s printing facilities, not only in the United States, but also in various other places throughout the earth. It was back in 1927 that the Society moved into its modern fireproof structure of reinforced concrete at 117 Adams Street in Brooklyn, New York. With 70,000 square feet of floor space, that building seemed very spacious, but the acceleration of the Kingdom-preaching and disciple-making work has required expansion of the Society’s facilities.

A major step in this regard was disclosed by Brother Knorr on August 8, 1946, at the Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly. He informed his convention audience that there would be expansion of the Society’s printing plant and the Bethel home in Brooklyn. Thus property adjacent to the original plant was purchased, evacuated and then demolished. Excavation for the new factory began on December 6, 1948, and construction commenced in January 1949. When completed, this nine-story concrete addition almost doubled the factory floor space. By 1950 the Society’s printing plant at 117 Adams Street occupied an entire city block.

Hence, expansion of the Society’s facilities in Brooklyn, New York, was essential. By spring of 1955, therefore, excavation for a new factory began and in 1956 this thirteen-story plant was completed. Situated at 77 Sands Street, “The Watchtower Building,” as it was called, has 192,000 square feet of floor space, more than the factory at 117 Adams Street, to which it is linked by an over-the-street bridge. In 1958 the Society purchased a nine-story factory on an adjoining city block, and this has been used almost exclusively for storage.

The number of Kingdom proclaimers exceeded a million world wide by the mid-1960’s. Again the Society’s Brooklyn factory space was cramped. So in 1966, on a block adjoining its other plants, construction began on another large factory. That eleven-story structure, dedicated on January 31, 1968, added 226,000 square feet of floor space to the Watchtower factory complex. By then the Society’s Brooklyn factory buildings, suitably interconnected by bridges spanning the streets, covered four city blocks.

In the meantime the Board of Directors of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., had purchased farm facilities near Pine Bush, New York.

Moreover, among the numerous structures on farm No. 1 are two factories. Factory No. 1 has four rotary presses, each capable of printing 12,500 magazines per hour. In factory No. 2 there is sufficient space for paper storage and fourteen more rotary presses besides much other equipment. Six rotary presses are already in operation there, making a total of ten presses in the two factories. When completed, these plants will provide about 400,000 square feet of floor space.