Rod Keller continues to keep us up to date on David Miscavige’s precious Ideal Org program as it continues to buy up empty buildings around the world.
Scientology has announced the purchase of a building that will become the Brescia, Italy Ideal Org. Brescia will join Rome, Milan and Padua as the fourth Italian Ideal Org, leaving eight more non-ideal orgs to wait their turn. Located at the foot of the Alps between Milan and Verona, Brescia’s many fine qualities will one day be advertised as making it a suitable home for the new org. Brescia is home to UNESCO World Heritage Sites for a well preserved Roman building complex as well as the monastery of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia. Brescia is Italy’s manufacturing capital, with two steel mills and the Beretta, Fabarm and Perazzi firearms companies. It is the birthplace of Pope Paul VI.
The current Class V org is known as the Church of Scientology dei Tre Laghi, or “Church of the Three Lakes” which are Lake Garda, Lake Iseo and Lake Idro, all within a few miles of the city. It is located on the narrow Via Fratelli Bronzetti, inside the ring road surrounding the city center. It hardly seems possible that a small storefront org could raise the funds to purchase a 50,000 square foot glass and steel Ideal Org.
And they have not, as Scientology has not purchased the gleaming building in the newsletter, but instead a concrete shell on Via Valcamonica, far outside the ring road. Don’t look for this Ideal Org to open this year, or next. It will require millions more in donations to complete, most likely coming from public Scientologists in Milan, Clearwater, and Los Angeles. The building was abandoned by developers in 2010 halfway through construction, and has no walls, plumbing or electrical system.
Brescia has become Europe’s ugliest Ideal Org building. Scientology has opened several attractive Ideal Org buildings recently, and we thought it appropriate to revisit the flip side – Ideal Org buildings that have been standing as empty eyesores for years. Here are the nominees according to Scientology’s system of continents – vote for the ugliest at the bottom.
EUS (Eastern United States) – New Haven. Purchased in 2003 this mausoleum-like former furniture store is the worst of the east. New Haven is home to Yale University and was once rated as America’s fourth-most dangerous city.
WUS (Western United States) – Albuquerque. Purchased in 2008 the Gizmo discount department store in downtown is still open and still the future home of the Ideal Org.
CAN (Canada) – Montreal. This graffiti-covered structure has been an ugly future Ideal Org since 2007, and narrowly beats out the ugly and empty Toronto org.
LATAM (Latin America) – Buenos Aires. This former opera house has been an ugly future Ideal Org since 2012.
UK (United Kingdom) – Gateshead. For years this future Ideal Org was a safety hazard and eyesore, used by drug addicts and the homeless. A safety fence has been added, but the former school purchased in 2007 is still ugly.
AF (Africa) – Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. At last report Marvel House continues as a brothel and drug house long after the utilities were turned off. It may seem a fantasy but Scientology still intends to renovate it as an Ideal Org, eventually.
ANZO (Australia, New Zealand and Asia) gets a pass. We don’t know of any ugly or empty Ideal Orgs in this region.
Vote now for the ugliest Ideal Org building!
— Rod Keller
——————–
Make your plans now!
Wow, it’s already April! Our flight and hotel is booked — who’s going to join us in Chicago? Remember, Friday (June 22) is Fly Day, and Saturday night (June 23) Chicago Fire star Christian Stolte will be helping us present things on stage as we hold our event at an actual theater this year. It’s going to be a wild time. Head over to our HowdyCon 2018 website to start making your travel plans!
——————–
Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 5,078 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 1,681 days
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 224 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,287 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,061 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 2,835 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,181 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 2,675 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 1,715 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 1,427 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 953 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,042 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,182 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 2,502 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 2,477 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 833 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,135 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,241 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 1,644 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 1,516 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,098 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 1,603 days.
Mary Jane Sterne has not seen her daughter Samantha in 1,847 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 12,956 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 8, 2018 at 07:00
E-mail tips and story ideas to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2017 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Undergound Bunker (2012-2017), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…
BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts
Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news
