Construction began in September 1985 on what has come to be known as the East Pennine Assembly Hall. It is a steel-frame structure seating 1,642 persons, with a 350-seat Kingdom Hall for the local congregation. The building was designed with a roof that has a 42-meter [138 foot] span, making it most attractive. The magazine The Structural Engineer dubbed this unusual design “the octagonal solution.” Rotherham Borough Council awarded the Assembly Hall their top design prize.

Noble Bower, a member of the project committee, worked on the site from the beginning and later served as the hall’s first overseer. His jovial but no-nonsense demeanor encouraged the more than 12,500 brothers and sisters who helped during the 14-month construction period. To make it possible for the work to continue through freezing fog, subzero temperatures, and snow, the brothers erected a scaffold frame around the area to support a protective plastic sheet. Into this, industrial heaters blew hot air. Nothing stopped the work on this important project. Brothers from far afield came to encourage the volunteer workers.

For Noble and his wife Louie, the most unforgettable day was when the Assembly Hall was dedicated to Jehovah, on November 15, 1986, during a visit by Theodore Jaracz, a member of the Governing Body.

East Pennine

(5) East Pennine,