Why do Kingdom Halls not have windows?
It occurred to me that in instances where it is claimed that there are no windows in order to save money on construction, insurance etc, they must nevertheless be paying a lot of extra money on lighting! Also they are contributing to global warming by using more electricity than would be necessary if they had windows. If they are concerned about vandalism, I would have thought in these days it was cheaper to buy reinforced safety glass as used in public buildings in earthquake zones, which would eventually pay for itself in electricity saved. If they are worried about being distracted, why not use frosted glass or simply buy translucent sticky back plastic designed to obscure and put it on the windows! I feel sorry for anyone who suffers from seasonal affective disorder (SAD)as spending time in any windowless building would just exacerbate it! I am not a beliver or church goer but if I had to choose which to look at while worshipping: a blank wall or stained glass window, I know which
I attended services at Kingdom Halls in Ohio and Pennsylvania for the first 20 years of my life, being raised a Jehovah’s Witness. None of these places had windows. Having attended many different churches, temples, mosques, etc., I feel there is some strange link between Judaism and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are no windows in the synagogues I’ve been to and minimal decoration, just like the Halls. Oh well, just an observation!
As a company who has installed windows in a number of Kingdom halls, I can verify that there is no specific standard set by the Jehovahs Witness organization as to windows existence or size at these halls. These are more usually specified by the architect. Also,the individual congregations order as to their specific requirements and personal desires. Of course, if the hall is in an area where the locals are of such a nature as to throw objects at the glass, the congregation have been reluctantly willing to dispense with large areas of glass for security precautions.
