Windowless Kingdom Halls

by drahcir yarrum 22 Replies latest jw friends

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  roybatty

  Simply cheaper to build KH w/o windows, that's the real reason.
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  misspeaches

  I've never seen a kingdom hall in Australia without windows. T

  he window furnishings - curtains/blinds are kept closed unless it is daytime and someone is using the kingdom hall.
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  Ianone

  Kingdom Hall meetings have a secretive atmosphere to them....almost like the Masonic Lodge.
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  R6Laser

  This issue has been raised before, and honestly how many churches do you see with windows on them? This also depends on the location of the KH. All the kh's in Puerto Rico had windows and they were open all the time, you could see outside, animals like lizards and bats would actually come into the hall (pretty interesting when this happened). The KH I attended in Puerto Rico even had a double door in the right side that was always open.
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  chrissy

  the kh i attended did not have windows. it may be the exception. it was a safe neighborhood but common sense tells me it was the most cost effective approach.
  
  but you would think the "light bearers" would insist on nothing less than hanging out in rooms w. lots of sunshine. not in the dreary darkness of fluorescence alone. i like to think it's to keep sunlight out and any glimpse of the natural world as to make it a little easier to beat loads of bs into the brains of those in attendance.
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  roybatty

  but common sense tells me it was the most cost effective approach.

  Before I left, I was on the local "quick build" committee. We wanted windows but the Regional Building Committee said "no" and showed us much more money it cost to frame the building for windows. I think one of the locals even offered to pay for this extra cost. They were told "donate it instead to the world wide work because every $5,000.00 we save builds a new hall in Africa." Funny thing is, the Hall looks like shi* without windows. It has also contributed to the town's feeling that JW's are a weird cult and have something to hide.
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  freedom96

  I was told there were two, and only two reasons.

  One, to make it difficult for thieves to get in.

  Second, and more important, when the end was coming, and the government turned on the witnesses, they could hide in there, and no one would see them.
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  Lady Lee

  It has also contributed to the town's feeling that JW's are a weird cult and have something to hide.

  I wonder what that would be?
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  Cygnus

  Windowless Kingdom Halls contribute to the sterile, joyless atmosphere present in today's congregations. It also helps with climate control, lighting control, thus mood control. If security was an issue, why not glass block windows? One KH I attended removed the original windows in a remodeling. The next CO came in and said from the platform: "Where are the windows in this building?" So the windows were put back in. A few years later, they were removed again. The last KH I attended had a drop ceiling with cheap 2X4 ceiling tiles. The CO, Alan Hood, made no bones about his dislike. Again, from the platform, he told us our ceiling looked like someone's basement ceiling, and he couldn't even open the front door, and where the heck is the air conditioning? So the congo ponied up for all the changes. I always thought a stuffy building with open windows and fans made it more interesting. Closed doors, air conditioning, tinny sound, silly color schemes, poor lighting...... Kingdom Halls are awful places now.
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  yesidid

  Were the windows open? Were the curtains open?

  Yes the windows and curtains were open and sometimes the doors.