And as usual, the WTS couldn't stay out of this and had to take over. First there was the nonsense of having "Regional Building Committees" that were "appointed by holy spirit" [read the WTS] which meant that only men could serve on them and women, regardless of their own talents and/or abilities along these lines, were shut out. Then the WTS mandated the architectural design of the building. All new halls must be built according to only seven WTS-approved plans. That meant that local custom, taste and decor were thrown out the window in favor of some cookie-cutter approach. Then came the clincher: all new halls were to be built using money loaned to the congregations directly from the WTS. That gave the WTS title to the land and the building enabling future sales for handsome profits--seeing the halls were built with volunteer labor--when the WTS sees fit.
It's all a scam more worthy of something the Devil himself would cook up and not the holy spirit. The whole arrangement is emblematic of the WTS's insatiable desire for control of the rank-and-file corps of Witnesses. Everything is kept under tight in-house control lest outside influences somehow take root and loosen the WTS grip on both lives and money. Sadly, it works as others have noted the widespread belief that the quick-build Kingdom Hall is proof of God's blessing on the organization and its adherents.
Quendi