Standish Hotel A second major addition to the Bethel complex is the 12-story Standish Hotel, which is a short distance down the street, at 169 Columbia Heights. Telling of the erection of this hotel, named after Miles Standish of early New England fame, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle said in 1903: “The company believes that the site it has selected, by reason of its environment and the unsurpassed view it offers of the East River and surrounding points of interest, is the ideal spot for a hotel and it intends to put up one of the finest finished and equipped houses in the country.”

The hotel was opened shortly afterward, but by the 1970’s it had greatly deteriorated. Cohi Towers Associates purchased it in the early 1980’s, and in time a complete renovation was undertaken with the intent of providing additional housing for the Bethel family. In 1986 renovation was completed, and in 1988 the Watchtower Society purchased the Standish. It accommodates 140 members of the Bethel family and about 25 of the original tenants who still live there.

[Pictures on page 24,

The Standish Hotel and its lobby