Super Power Building
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Super Power Building | |
 Scientology's Super Power Building |
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Clearwater, Florida |
| Religious affiliation | Scientology |
| Leadership | Religious Technology Center |
| Website | Groundbreaking, David Miscavige ceremony |
| Architectural description | |
| Year completed | Unfinished |
| Construction cost | USD$24,000,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 889 rooms, 42 bathrooms |
This article forms part of a series on Scientology |
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Concepts
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The Super Power Building or SP Building is an edifice in Clearwater, Florida that will be the Church of Scientology's largest property in the city when completed. The huge high-rise complex, which occupies an entire block at 215 S Fort Harrison Ave, will be topped by a 15-story tower surmounted with a bronze Scientology cross that will be visible over a wide area of Clearwater. The building has been under construction since 1998 but has yet to be finished, apparently due to financial difficulties.
At 170,000 square feet (16,000 m²), the building will be the largest commercial edifice in Clearwater and was originally budgeted to cost $24 million.[1] According to the building plans, the Super Power Building will feature a "grand lobby" lined with sculptures depicting aspects of Scientology; theaters for training and introductory films; a museum honoring the Sea Org; and a separate museum honoring Scientology's founder, L. Ron Hubbard. The sixth floor will house an indoor running track for Scientologists undergoing the controversial Purification Rundown detoxification program.[2] The building will also contain a bookstore, library and numerous course and study rooms, with a total of 889 rooms, 447 windows, 42 bathrooms plus a 1,140-seat dining room. [3]
The purpose of the edifice will be specifically for administering the Super Power Rundown, a high-level Scientology training course. The Dianetics and Scientology Technical Dictionary defines "Super Power" as:
"A super fantastic, but confidential series of rundowns that can be done on anybody whether Dn [Dianetics] Clear or not that puts the person into fantastic shape unleashing Super Power of a thetan. This means that puts Scientologists into a new realm of ability enabling them to create a new world. It puts world Clearing within reach of the future. This is a parallel rundown to Power in Saint Hills which is taken by the Dn Clear. It consists of 12 separate high power rundowns which are brand new and enter realms of the tech never before approached. Power is still very much in use on the Grade Chart but is for those who didn't go Clear on Dn." [4]
According to former Scientologists, the building will contain specially developed equipment designed to exercise and enhance an individual's "perceptics" (senses), of which Hubbard listed 57.[5] These machines will include such things as an antigravity simulator, a gyroscope-like apparatus that spins a person around while blindfolded to improve perception of compass direction, and a video screen that moves forward and backward while flashing images to hone a viewer's ability to identify subliminal messages.[6]
Plans for the Super Power Building project were unveiled in 1993 by the Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology Religious Trust. The site was formerly occupied by the Gray Moss Inn, a turn-of-the-century building across the street from the Scientology-owned Fort Harrison Hotel. The inn had stood empty since being damaged in a 1989 arson fire and the Church of Scientology acquired the land in 1991 after it had been purchased by local property developer Terence J. McCarthy, the owner of T.J.M. Holding and president of Graymoss, Inc. [7]
Construction officially began in November 1998 and was slated for completion by 2003. However, work was reported to have fallen well behind schedule and stopped in 2003. The cost of construction was reported to have more than doubled due to rises in the price of steel and labor, [8] with the Church repeatedly issuing fundraising requests to its members. In 2005, the city's code enforcement board ordered the exterior, including landscaping and sidewalks, to be completed by early summer. The deadline was not met and daily fines of $250 — totalling over $40,000 by the end of 2006 — were levied against the Church.[9]
A Church spokesman announced in April 2006 that the building would be completed by the end of 2007 [10] but this date has slipped repeatedly. Press reports at the time indicated that the Church was aiming to complete the building by March 2008. In November 2006 the city of Clearwater served the Church with a development order to complete the exterior of the building.[9] As of mid-December 2006 construction had not yet resumed [11] and Church officials indicated that "mid 2008" was now the target date.[9] The prolonged delay has adversely impacted other proposed developments that intended to capitalize on the promised increased economic activity from Scientologists visiting Clearwater.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ Wallsten, Peter. "Scientologists call for builders", St. Petersburg Times, 1995-12-23.
- ^ Tobin, Thomas. "Scientology's building heads upward", St. Petersburg Times, 2000-05-29.
- ^ O'Neill, Deborah. "Unmistakable presence", St. Petersburg Times, 2002-07-28.
- ^ Dianetics and Scientology Technical Dictionary, p. 413. Bridge Publications, 1989
- ^ According to the Scientology Handbook, they are: Time, Sight; Taste, Color, Depth; Solidity (barriers); Relative sizes (external); Sound; Pitch; Tone; Volume; Rhythm; Smell; Touch (pressure, friction, heat or cold and oiliness); Personal emotion; Endocrine states; Awareness of awareness; Personal size; Organic sensation (including hunger); Heartbeat; Blood circulation; Cellular and bacterial position; Gravitic (self and other weights); Motion of self; Motion (exterior); Body position; Joint position; Internal temperature; External temperature; Balance; Muscular tension; Saline content of self (body); Fields/magnetic; Time track motion; Physical energy (personal weariness, etc.); Self-determinism; Moisture (self); Sound direction; Emotional state of other organs; Personal position on the tone scale; Affinity (self and others); Communication (self and others); Reality (self and others); Emotional state of groups; Compass direction; Level of consciousness; Pain; Perception of conclusions (past and present); Perception of computation (past and present); Perception of imagination (past and present); Perception of having perceived (past and present); Awareness of not knowing; Awareness of importance, unimportance; Awareness of others; Awareness of location and placement (masses, spaces and location itself); Perception of appetite; Kinesthesia
- ^ Farley, Robert. "Scientology nearly ready to unveil Super Power", St. Petersburg Times, 2006-06-06.
- ^ Garcia, Wayne. "Scientologists plan to build auditorium", St. Petersburg Times, 1993-05-18.
- ^ Farley, Robert. "Clearwater edifice sits empty, but why?", St. Petersburg Times, 2004-12-20.
- ^ a b c Farley, Robert. "Still on church's drawing board", St. Petersburg Times, 2006-12-23.
- ^ Farley, Robert. "Plans for expansion", St. Petersburg Times, 2006-08-07.
- ^ Farley, Robert. "Scientology church seeks more units for hotel", St. Petersburg Times, 2006-12-17.
- ^ Meinhardt, Jane. "Unmistakable presence", Tampa Bay Business Journal, 2006-08-04.
[edit] External links
- David Miscavige - Groundbreaking Ceremony Clearwater Florida
- New Church of Scientology Building in Clearwater, Florida
- Google Maps - satellite image of Super Power Building
- solitarytrees.net, The Super Powers Webpage
- Holysmoke.org: Predictions about the SP Building
- Photo essay depicting the SP Building's delayed construction process
