Beth-Sarim

Beth Sarim, which means "House of Princes" in Hebrew, is a historic mansion in San Diego's Kensington Heights neighborhood. The building was erected in 1929 by the Watch Tower Society, the parent organization of Jehovah's Witnesses. It was built in anticipation of the resurrection of biblical patriarchs and Old Testament prophets such as Abraham, Moses, and David. According to the teaching of the time, these figures were to become the new leaders of the earth and take up residence in San Diego, after earlier predictions centered on Jerusalem had failed. The property served as a winter residence and executive office for the organization's then-president, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, who spent his winters in California for health reasons.

Architecturally, it is a Spanish-style mansion designed by architect Richard S. Requa. The residence has ten bedrooms and an adjoining two-car garage. It sits on an expansive property planted with olive trees, date palms, and other palms to give the expected residents a sense of familiarity. Rutherford moved into the house in the early 1930s, and during his stays it also served as his winter headquarters. The president died in the building in January 1942. Plans to bury him at the house itself, however, ran into legal obstacles, so his remains were transported to New York and interred there.

After Rutherford's death, the property remained in the organization's hands for several more years before it was sold to a private owner in 1948. The belief in the imminent resurrection of the "princes" was abandoned in the early 1950s. Today, Beth Sarim is a private home and is listed by the City of San Diego as a historic landmark. Although the building is not open to the public for tours, it remains a significant testament to the religious history of Jehovah's Witnesses and to the architecture of the 1920s in the region.