***Warning: Links all go to Scilon sites*** I did a quick drive by of Kansas City's Idle Org. The campaign for which, according to a March 2007 Scilon post (hosted on fucking blogspot, ffs Scientology, are you even trying?) is (Scifag ling, sock up)"...taking off like a rocket." Quick digression: the clam's pitiful blogspot has a grand total of three posts this year. Three. In fact, they've been downstat since Chanology started: 2011 (3) 2010 (32) 2009 (11) 2008 (36) 2007 (141) Look at that, 141 the year before Chanology and 36 the next year. Granted, most of the 2007 posts were bawwwwwing for money so that they could be the Idle Org. Which reminds me... Your Ideal Org is fucking abandoned and looks like shit $cientology! Pretty fucking great jerb there Scilons. You managed to scrape together a meelion to buy the dump four fucking years ago. Four. Years. Ago. It actually looks worse than when you bought it which, I guess, pretty much makes sense. Fail harder fuckers. I can't wait to piss on the ashes of your cult.
It's the new catchphrase: SCIENTOLOGY IS EXPANDING EXPENDING! The front doors look slighty TARDIS-like. Except the other way round... "omg it's so much smaller on the inside".
Warning: Scilon links in OP includng inline images. Could you re-host images and make such links more obvious plox?
Fixt. It's kind of a shame too because it's actually pretty nice on the inside and has an amazing rooftop. That whole area is going to through a little bit of a renewal... I wonder when the price will be right for the Scilons to sell?
You mean, you wonder when a shadowy company registered somewhat offshore decides to take the profit? When Dave Miscavige needs to move the planetary salvation operation to a place with no extradition treaty, I reckon . Best regards Jens
Oh, I forgot to mention, the Org still has one of their windows covered by a sheet of plywood. It couldn't be more than a few hundred bucks to fix the window and it looks like shit so, uhm, what's the problem there Scilons? Whole (real) churches were destroyed by the storms in the South two weeks ago and are already being rebuilt, some of them with congregations numbering in the tens... But the KC org can't scrape together enough to fix a friggin' window. So, yeah, how long will it take you to raise the other 3million+ you need to get your Idle Org started?
Is there gonna be anything left to go protest in KC when I can be able to drive again? By the looks of it, there may not be... That glimmer of hope looks like it is fading nao
We're not done yet... I personally won't rest until the Org is a check cashing place or a hair salon. Funny thing, if you look at Google Maps, it shows two Scilon "churches" right beside each other: And they aren't even on the right side of the street. The org's front door is right beside the 'k' in H&R Block. And what's that? Is that Anonymous listed on our corner? How did that happen? *blink blink*
Oh.... Well... Looks like hope still lives! Funny that the "Church" is next door to the H & R Block. They may need it soon enough!
The irony hasn't escaped me. They just need a psychiatrist on the other side and they'll be bookended by their two favourite activities.
I wonder if the strategy is to buy old buildings for the land, let the buildings fall apart and then build garish monstrosities where they were.
I dunno, I kind of doubt that in this instance. Even though the building doesn't look great, it's structurally sound and has some historical significance. We'll put it this way: it looks a hell of a lot better than the Org further South where we actually protest. If the idea is to wait for it to fall apart, I am fairly certain that Scientology will be a curious footnote before that building falls apart. Sort of. It's kind of on the Eastern edge of downtown KC. If you go much further East, crack starts getting a lot easier to find. In fact, I drove by the Idle Org Saturday night and there is a little club kind of tucked away in the corner, called Ballanca's, and there were pretty obvious drug dealers hanging outside. On the other hand, there are fairly new businesses all around it, including some hipster hangouts and some art galleries. If it went the way of most of the buildings in the area, someone would turn it into lofts and probably make a killing.
Some info re: the old City Bank that is now the idle org (the one in the photos, not on the google map pics above): http://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/83000996.pdf
Why isn't the Church of Scientology paying its downtown tax bill? By Steve Vockrodt, Kansas City Pitch, April 21, 2015 Back in 2007, the Church of Scientology bought a historic building across the street from the Kansas City Star's headquarters. The Star, which at the time leased space in the City National Bank Building, at 1801 Grand, for its advertising functions, covered the transaction on the front page of the March 17, 2007, business section. According to that story, Kansas City's branch of Scientology planned to move its operations from 39th Street and Main to its newest property later that year. The moving vans never made it downtown. It's often said the Church of Scientology is the least reliable source of information about itself. The source quoted in that Star story suggests that there's good reason to accept the received wisdom about the controversial religion. Scientology's local executive director, Maggie Kittinger, told the newspaper that the church had bought the building from erstwhile owner Grand Investment International for less than the $5.25 million asking price. That part is true: Jackson County real-estate records show that the actual sale price of the property was $5,076,092. Acquisition and renovation, according to the story, would total $4 million. It's hard to gauge the accuracy of that estimate, though, because the church, eight years after the deal, little progress is apparent at the property. Paint is chipping on the exterior of the building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A gaping hole in a broken window on the east-facing side of the building attests to neglect. The only sign of life visible through the structure's windows is a box of Velveeta cheese on the floor of a ground-level room. The building is situated squarely within a prime-realty zip code, in the midst of downtown Kansas City's comeback. Demand for its use is, in theory, high. Jackson County real-estate records show that the building has held a steady market value of $3.5 million since 2010. Properly developed, this parcel would yield valuable tax revenue to the county. But the county's records also show that, from 2010 to 2012, Scientology paid only $84 a year to cover its share of an assessment levied against all property that sits along a boulevard in Kansas City. (It paid $4,042 per year in 2013 and 2014 to cover the transportation-development-district assessment that is funding the under-construction downtown streetcar line.) The Star's headquarters, at 1729 Grand, valued by the county at slightly less than Scientology's building, pays roughly $98,000 a year in real-estate taxes. Scientology is exempt from real-estate taxes because it's considered a religion, a designation it strong-armed the Internal Revenue Service into accepting in the early 1990s. But the church may be abusing that privilege; Missouri law states that a property must be "actually and regularly used exclusively for religious worship" in order for a religious organization to retain tax-exempt status on it. Edwin Stoll, deputy chief administrator for Jackson County, tells The Pitch that the church has provided documentation that it holds events at 1801 Grand during downtown parades and such. "While the church has not been able to utilize the entire building due to the needed construction and repairs, it has been confirmed that there is an ongoing religious use," Stoll writes in an e-mail. Of course, whatever is happening there, Scientology officials won't talk about it. The Pitch over the years has asked Scientology what it plans to do with the building at 1801 Grand but has never received a response. Recent inquiries have also gone ignored, which may owe something to Scientology officials busying themselves with damage control over Going Clear, an HBO documentary that premiered earlier this month. Going Clear portrays Scientology, started in Wichita in 1952 by the late pulp-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, less like a religion and more like a moneymaking scheme for well-paid executives at the expense of its members. Ostensibly, Scientology wants to remake the City National Bank Building into what it calls "Ideal Orgs." The long delay in opening Kansas City's Ideal Org is emblematic of the lack of progress with similar buildings in other cities. Continued here: http://www.pitch.com/kansascity/why...ing-its-downtown-tax-bill/Content?oid=5099594
Scientology: Making fools of your local elected lunkheads since 1952 By Tony Ortega, The Underground Bunker n 2003, your proprietor moved to Kansas City. It was something of a leap of faith. We’re from Los Angeles, and we’d lived in New York, and we didn’t have a lot of familiarity with the middle of the country. But it turned out to be one of the best moves we ever made. We’re still best friends with some of the people we met during the two years we lived there, and we have fond memories of our time as managing editor of The Pitch, a weekly newspaper. We were pleasantly surprised to receive a call recently from a writer currently working for The Pitch who wanted to get some help with a really interesting story he was putting together. He had noticed that Scientology, like in many cities in the US, had purchased a large, historic building in the downtown area (pictured), but then had let it rot for several years. We gave him the background on Scientology leader David Miscavige’s “Ideal Org” program. For more than a decade now, Miscavige has tried to give the illusion of Scientology expanding by replacing existing “orgs” (short for organizations) with fancier, more upscale facilities, often housed in historic buildings in downtown locations. Replacing a utilitarian facility with a grander one really isn’t expansion, not when the resulting “Ideal Org” sits virtually empty. But whenever a reporter asks Scientology anything, spokeswoman Karin Pouw responds with the same pitch about how the “real” story about Scientology is all of the new “churches” it’s opened around the world. It’s a public relations sham, of course, and former Scientology spokesman Mike Rinder, at his excellent blog, has documented how much of a shell game the Ideal Org program really is. That’s especially true in recent years and in the eastern half of the United States. In Kansas City and Chicago and Detroit and Philadelphia and Boston and other places, local Scientologists were pressured to raise millions in local money to purchase historic buildings, but they’ve struggled for years to raise additional cash to make renovations. So in the meantime, the buildings Scientology owns have sat, rotting, and have become eyesores that local leaders are beginning to squawk about. And now, Steve Vockrodt at the Pitch has asked a question that we had not seen asked before. Since the Kansas City building was purchased in 2007 and has been waiting for local Scientologists to somehow come up with the millions necessary for renovation, is the Church of Scientology paying any property taxes in the meantime? Continued here: http://tonyortega.org/2015/04/22/sc...s-of-your-local-elected-lunkheads-since-1952/
City records show Scientology is barely doing any renovation work at 1801 Grand (or they may be doing it without a permit) By Steve Vockrodt, Kansas City Pitch, April 22, 2015 The Church of Scientology has told Jackson County over the years that they're working hard at renovating the building at 1801 Grand it purchased in 2007. But city permit records indicate that local Scientologists are hardly working. In the current edition of The Pitch, which hit the streets on Wednesday, we examined how scant work appears to have been done on the stately downtown Kansas City building since Scientology bought it in 2007 for a shade more than $5 million. The apparent inactivity begged the question: Does Scientology deserve to have a property tax exemption at a piece of real estate valued at $3.5 million if it's not doing much of anything with it? Jackson County authorities told The Pitch that Scientology retains its tax exempt status, which saves the church thousands of dollars locally every year, because the it demonstrated that members hang out at 1801 Grand and hand out literature when big events like parades happen downtown. Furthermore, the county says that it received invoices for renovation work at the building to show that they're coming along with plans to make it into what Scientology calls an Ideal Org. As recently as March 23, the county indicated it received invoices for construction work done in 2014 to help justify the exemption from property taxes for another year. But a check of Kansas City, Missouri construction permit history at 1801 Grand shows that very little work has been done since Scientology took over the building. In fact, no permits were requested by Scientology during all of 2014. Permits issued earlier than 2014 expired long before any date last year. Since Scientology has owned the City National Bank Building, only seven permits have been pulled at 1801 Grand. All but two of those permits occurred just last January, all related to replacing a water line coming from the building. Prior to that, one permit was for a street plate in December 2008 and the other was for water repairs outside the building in 2009. If Scientology was doing mechanical, electrical, other plumbing, elevator or fire protection work in tandem with its renovations over the years, it should be obtaining a permit and paying the city a fee. Even piddly work worth less than $500 still commands a $48 permit fee. It's always possible that the church is doing work without a permit. But other signs in and around the building suggest that little, if any construction is being done. A busted out window has been apparent for days, and other signs of neglect are apparent on the exterior of the building. Source, and comments: http://www.pitch.com/FastPitch/arch...rand-or-they-may-be-doing-it-without-a-permit
^^^I am really starting to like this guy. Does his homework, and doesn't take anyone's word for anything. With the odor coming out of that Idle Mourge, this could get interesting. BigBeard
Steve's work e-mail is steve.vockrodt@pitch.com. Please consider e-mailing him a quick thank you for actually doing some real investigation. It doesn't have to be special; 1 or 2 sentences will do. No excuses - you can do that between sips of coffee. If we don't want endless fluff articles, the least we can do is acknowledge a good one.
Some type of construction work is being done at the Scientology building in the Crossroads. But for what, who knows? By Steve Vockrodt, Kansas City Pitch, May 2, 2016 For nine years, this newspaper has asked the same old question: When is the Church of Scientology going to do something with the cool building it bought in the Crossroads Arts District? Answers are never forthcoming from the secretive religion. Scientology bought the former City National Bank building at 1801 Grand in 2007 for a shade higher than $5 million. The building is supposed to become what the church calls an "Ideal Org." Ideal Orgs exist in various places around the country and seem to be central places of activity for Scientologists. While these temples have come to fruition in some cities, North America is dotted with buildings that were supposed to become Ideal Orgs but sit empty or underused today. Kansas City is one of these places. Last year, The Pitch reported that the building showed signs of neglect and few indications that the building was being used by local Scientologists. The nexus of local Scientology exists at the northeast corner of 39th and Main streets. Since last year's report, a few of the building's broken windows have been fixed. Still, there are few signs of more meaningful activity. That was until last week, when a blue porta potty could be seen on the roof of 1801 Grand from The Pitch's offices. Upon closer inspection, it's clear that some kind of roof work is being done. So we asked the Church of Scientology again: What's going on with the Kansas City Ideal Org? So far, we have no answer. City records show that two work permits have been pulled to do construction there. Nonetheless, little, if any, religious activity is apparent at 1801 Grand. It matters because Scientology has paid hardly anything in real estate taxes in what's otherwise prime real estate in the Crossroads since 2007. Scientology is recognized as a religion by the Internal Revenue Service (although vocal critics of the faith regard it as little more than cynical money-grab for church executives at the expense of lower-rung followers who pay princely sums to the institution). The critic's point of view is reinforced somewhat by the progress, or lack of progress, in developing Kansas City's Ideal Org. A Facebook page and a couple blogs dedicated to raising money for the local Ideal Org gives the sense of completion being right around the corner. That's been the message for years. As a religion, the church has a right to be exempt from property taxes, so long as the church uses property for actual religious purposes. Churches aren't supposed to buy up land and let it sit dormant unless they want to pay taxes like most other property owners. The building at 1801 Grand has a market value of $3.4 million, which translates to a $1.1 million assessed value. But because Scientology has convinced Jackson County officials that it is indeed using the building for religious purposes, it pays nothing in property taxes. The only tax the building throws off is $4,041 for the downtown streetcar transportation development district, proving that not even L. Ron Hubbard is exempt from paying for the streetcar. Source, and comments: http://www.pitch.com/news/blog/2063...ding-in-the-crossroads-but-for-what-who-knows
Jackson County should check to see if the occupancy and fire permits are up to date, or else no one should be using the building for anything.
Indeed. The special treatment that these cities give the clams are as much to blame as the clams themselves. Seven years for Kansas City? I think it was Nine years and counting for Montreal?- hopefully to be put up for auction soon? Nine Years for Connecticut?- finally foreclosed Clearwater was nine years for Super Powah? Was Chicago another one? Toronto will be how many years? Then there are others in the UK and elsewhere. Don't any of these cities do their homework and see a pattern of abuse with the COS?
Scientology speaks! Church indicates it doesn't plan to sell their building on Grand Boulevard By Steve Vockrodt, Kansas City Pitch, May 18, 2016 Last week I got a tip about how the Church of Scientology was planning to sell the building it bought in 2007 at 1801 Grand. It was a tantalizing piece of news because this newspaper for years has wondered when Scientology was going to get around to doing something with the City National Bank building. Since buying the building — one in which UMB Bank got its start— in 2007, there have been few, if any, signs of activity at the building. Meanwhile, it pays no property taxes — an exception being taxes earmarked for the streetcar — because it's supposedly being used for religious purposes. It's a cool building in a prime area of real estate. I've heard there's a neat bank vault in the basement and that the bank lobby on the ground floor makes for a beautiful entrance. I called around to see if anyone else had heard the same information and learned that some knowledgable people were aware of the rumor. Efforts over the years to get Scientology to provide detail about what they plan to do with 1801 Grand have been met with silence. Until Tuesday! I reached out to the public affairs operation at the Church of Scientology once again to relay the tip I'd gotten and to see if it would confirm. Their response was vague and suggested that Scientology doesn't plan to put the building on the market. "The local Church is still engaged in fundraising for the completion of its new Ideal Church of Scientology and the expansion of the Church’s activities Kansas City," reads an e-mail response to The Pitch from Scientology's media relations department. OK. That's been going on for nearly nine years. Does the church have a timeline for wrapping things up? "We are not prepared to make a statement on that yet, but we will let you and the other media know when we do," reads a followup response. So there you have it. Scientology says it's still in fundraising mode in Kansas City. It's worth remembering that Scientology isn't always too forthright about itself. The church's account of the life of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard is riddled with questionable and unverifiable claims. The church was also famously caught by investigative journalist Lawrence Wright fabricating evidence to support Hubbard's military records in a lengthy story published in the New Yorker in 2011. (Wright would later publish a book about Scientology called Going Clear, which was later adapted into an HBO documentary by the same name.) So one could accept Scientology's claims about its plans for 1801 Grand at face value. But one also shouldn't be surprised if a "for sale" sign pops up on the building later on. Source, and comments: http://www.pitch.com/news/blog/2078...lan-to-sell-their-building-on-grand-boulevard
If they were planning on selling the Kansas City building, the secrecy would be to keep the members from finding out.
Yep. Because...this! https://www.facebook.com/Kansas-City-Ideal-Org-Fundraising-Group-300076593353496/ LOL
Here is a logical contradiction: Vacant building used for religious purposes. Use constitutes the type of activity actually carried out. It has nothing to do with what the owner states occurs or will occur. The Kansas City tax assessor should bill the owner for commercial rates retroactive to 2007 as the property was never used "for religious purposes". Again, when you see an idle morg, think real estate investment.
Mike Rinder published this today (without mentioning the way the cult spelled Marilyn Monroe's name): We’re getting “closer” to “renovations” Well, that is a seriously impressive accomplishment. Source: http://www.mikerindersblog.org/thursday-funnies-119/
Only that Mighty-Thetan L. Ron Hubbard with his Exterior Research 'Tech' can scratch the 7 Year Itch out of 'Marilyn Manroe's' Ballz at this stage.............. 'OT-19' (Ballz in Space)! So that's what Ron is busy doing nowadays.........Thanks Dave, We have a few follow-up questions on this EuLology.............Dave?...............Dave?..........Bueller?........Bueller?
Church of Scientology could be expanding in KC, church says restoration project is in final stages of planning By Kera Mashek, FOX 4 Kansas City Quote: The Church of Scientology might be expanding its footprint here in Kansas City. Some speculate its newest real estate venture could become the Midwest hub for the controversial church. Scientology currently calls a few small properties in Kansas City home, including one on E 39th Street. Signs out front say you can get a free IQ and personality test inside with no commitment necessary. But it seems the church has bigger plans and commitments to expand its outreach in the nation's heartland. Back in 2007, it purchased the old City National Building at 18th & Grand in downtown Kansas City for $5,076,091.50. But the massive building with twin seven story towers joined by a two-story lobby, has stood vacant ever since. Records show the Church of Scientology in Kansas City is connected to dozens of other company names. One of them is Grand Investments International, with a company president listed as Lee Shin, headquartered in the attached building at 1805 Grand Blvd. But that space appears empty and is closed off with an iron gate. While the church has owned the building over a decade, it filed permits this summer to occupy the space and to inspect the property. But there's not been a single permit filed since to renovate the space, which is expected to be a massive undertaking. The building is on the National Historic Registry, but is not on a local listing which would require more scrutiny for renovations. Plans do call for a restoration of the property in addition to a modern overhaul. But there's no public record of Scientology filing for local or state historic tax credits to help with the restoration. But the church says it is moving forward with the project. In a statement to Fox-4 it said, "Our restoration project is in the final stages of planning." The church did not elaborate on how it will use the space or when work could begin. Project records from the Missouri Bid Network show the church has plans for a full gut job inside, to restore the building's historic exterior and create classrooms, a cafe, counseling rooms, chapel, theaters, and offices inside. In all, it could run a bill of over $10 million. The church only said, "We are very excited about this building and what it means to our parishioners in Kansas City. We'll let you know when we have any official announcements about it." The church has drawn controversy around the globe for its secrecy and the scores of former members who now speak out publicly against it. Its massive real estate sprawl surrounding its 'planet-wide spiritual headquarters' in Clearwater, Fla. has virtually taken over the city's downtown. Some of the spaces are occupied, while others have sat empty for years. So now it's a waiting game to see if Scientology's followers will soon flock to Kansas City and what exactly will become of the towering historic building it owns here. Source: http://fox4kc.com/2017/09/22/church...ation-project-is-in-final-stages-of-planning/
Church of Scientology moving forward with renovations on historic building on Grand Boulevard A number of permits have been filed by the Church of Scientology for the property at 1805 Grand Boulevard, including for interior renovation, electrical, and fire sprinkler systems. FOX4’s Kera Mashek reached out to a local Scientology representative on Tuesday, who confirmed the organization is moving forward with plans for the property. “Indeed, we are moving forward with the renovations and restoration, and it is going well,” the representative said in an email. “The building will house an “Ideal” Church in Kansas City, meaning that it will be designed to provide the full services of the Scientology religion to its parishioners and to the community. This includes public information multimedia displays describing all aspects of the religion and its community outreach programs. A Chapel will provide for Sunday Services as well as community-wide events. There is no official date for the completion of this project, but we will let you know when we have any official announcements about the timing.” Posted 12:00 pm, March 27, 2018, by FOX 4 Newsroom, Updated at 11:59AM, March 27, 2018 http://fox4kc.com/2018/03/27/church...novations-on-historic-building-on-grand-blvd/ Mike Rinder has a bit more on it today NO New Orgs 2 https://www.mikerindersblog.org/no-new-orgs-part-2/
