What’s up, Dave? Scientology still looks no closer to opening Austin and Chicago

At his New Year’s event, Scientology leader David Miscavige claimed that his “Ideal Org” program was coming back online after the pandemic, and that four new gleaming cathedrals would open just in the first quarter of 2023.

Well, half the year is almost up, and we’re still waiting for Dave to open up an Ideal Org this year.

Miscavige started the program 20 years ago, and he’s converted about 60 of the normal “orgs” to “Ideal Orgs” in that time, in places like Tampa, Tokyo, Rome, Mexico City, and New York.

Scientologists are told that the expensive program, with each Ideal Org costing tens of millions of dollars, is a key part of Scientology’s plan to “clear the planet” and begin a “new civilization.”

But there’s little evidence that the program is anything other than a real estate acquisition program, with no evidence that the new buildings have created the rush of new membership Miscavige promises will happen.

Until the pandemic put a hold on things in 2020, the two projects that were closest to completion were in Austin and Chicago, and we suspect that they will be the next to open. But when?

Dave’s promises have come and gone, but the two locations look no different than they have for years, each of the on the verge of opening, just waiting for Dave to come to town for a ceremony.

In both cities we have helpful readers who go by occasionally to give us an update on things. We want to thank the reader who sent us these photos this week of the situation in Austin…

And our indefatigable correspondent in Chicago who gives us regular looks at the unchanging building there…

It’s been pointed out to us that with Scientology’s major PR problems, perhaps Dave is having a hard time recruiting the large staffs that his Ideal Orgs are supposed to require at opening.

But we figure Miscavige can hold these grand openings whenever he wants to, staffing levels be damned. So why doesn’t he? What’s the hold up, Dave? 

Meanwhile, our great thanks to Phil Jones, who recently sent us this report on another Scientology location…

Is the Winnipeg Canada Ideal Org at Risk of Being Torn Down?

We’re back in Winnipeg for a visit and so we decided to check out the local Scientology Org as well as their Ideal Org building to see if there was any progress.

It was over a decade ago since we visited the building Scientology had purchased for their new Ideal Org on the corner of Smith and Notre Dame. We got a close-up view of the building, with its crumbling mortar foundation, boarded-up windows, and derelict demeanor. Since then nothing has been done about it. No renovations at all, which is too bad as it would be a beautiful building if fully renovated.

There was one small attempt at fundraising for renovations by Scientology Winnipeg that I saw recently, but it was a meager showing and wouldn’t have been even enough to create the requisite office for L. Ron Hubbard that every Scientology Organization building must have. They won’t be anywhere near having enough to renovate their Ideal Org building.

In the last five years or so the city of Winnipeg has seen an increase in the number of derelict properties which has grown by nearly 50 per cent. So far there are more than 680 properties registered by the city as being derelict.

Now, Winnipeg City Hall has stepped in to handle the problem.

“Winnipeg’s property committee voted unanimously to amend the city’s vacant and derelict buildings bylaw to allow the Director of the Property and Development Department to issue demolition permits without a public hearing, and without requiring a plan to build something new in its place.”

“We’re laser-focused on this tough-as-nails approach,” says property committee chair Sherri Rollins.

At some point, the Scientology building may get an inspection. Included in the new bylaw is a requirement for derelict property owners to pay for inspection fees.

Scientology Winnipeg has an extremely small following and if there were renovations to take place in order to avoid the City stepping in, the money would have to come from Scientology International. Will David Miscavige step up? We’ll see.

I don’t think the city is looking to tear down the building any time soon, or ever, but legally at this point I suppose they could.

In the meantime, Scientology Winnipeg remains in its small offices downtown, just off Portage, near Main. This is just a few blocks from their Ideal Org derelict building. There’s little parking available there and it’s one of the highest crime areas in the city. Not somewhere you’d want to have your wife go on course at the Org in the evening and then walk back to the car.

I checked the front door of the current Winnipeg Scientology Org and it was locked. During the week it’s only open in the evenings.

— Phil Jones

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Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history

Avast, Ye Mateys: Snapshots from Scientology’s years at sea

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