Artcraft Building, Board of Education Headquarters (1920), Spectralith (1978), Scientology (2009/2024)
Life Span: 1916-Present
Location: 382-386 Clark (Old), 646-652 South Clark Street
Architect: TBD
Chicago Tribune, October 5, 1919
LEASES.
The board of education has leased from R. J. Gunning the Artcraft building at 700-706 (sic) South Clark street, for ten years from Oct. 1 at an annual rental of $40,000. The building, which is six stories with a frontage of sixty-two feet and a depth of 108 feet, is now being fitted for use of the extension of the continuing school.
- Artcraft Building
Ross & Browne Real Estate Map
1928
Chicago Tribune, November 29, 2009
By Manya A. Branchear
Convicted of fraud in France, impugned by former celebrity members and accused of coercing estranged practitioners to stay against their will, the Church of Scientology has encountered a fair share of bad publicity in recent months.
But in Chicago, the religious movement founded by the late science fiction writer L. Ron Hub- bard appears to be flourishing. Signaling that success are plans for a new seven-story Illinois church headquarters slated to open next year in Chicago’s historic Printer’s Row.
The restoration of the $4 million red brick edifice at 650 S. Clark St. built in 1914 follows the church’s plan of acquiring and restoring historic structures that embody a city’s aesthetic.
More than 70 buildings have been acquired around the globe as part of a multimillion dollar expansion program. More than two dozen churches are set to open in the U.S. before the end of next year.
In Chicago, the 50,212 square feet of space will accommodate worship, courses, spiritual counseling known as auditing, community outreach and church administration.
“That’s one of the reasons we need such a large space,” said the Rev. Jesse Wells, an ordained Scientology minister, “to accommodate all the activities.”
Introduced in Illinois in 1974, the church most recently has been housed in the Hubbard Dianetics Foundation—a storefront on Lincoln Avenue. But Rebecca Cusano,a spokeswoman for the Illinois church, said activities and membership have outgrown the space.
A film room doubles as a chapel for Sunday services. People study for courses in the same bustling room where visitors stop by to learn about the church, volunteer ministers make phone calls and staff conducts business.
Cusano said about 60,000 people have come through the doors of Illinois churches since 1974. In addition to its headquarters in Chicago, the local church has five missions, in Peoria, Champaign, Elgin, Des Plaines and Milwaukee. Hundreds of individuals do home- study courses, Cusano said.
She said the 10 million-member church has grown exponentially since it earned recognition as a religious organization in 1993, and even more so since it unveiled its social betterment programs that include drug rehabilitation and literacy. Designs for the new building devote entire floors for auditing, chapel space and digital displays that will be open to the public.
On a recent Sunday, dozens gathered in the public space for a brief service. A minister read aloud the church’s creed, a statement by Hubbard about personal integrity, a lecture by Hubbard about kindness and the church’s prayer for “total freedom,” also composed by Hubbard.
Controversy has swirled around Scientology since Hubbard founded the church in 1954. He taught that men and women can better their lives by learning more about themselves and each other. Self-examination takes places during spiritual counseling sessions known as auditing.Hubbard’s book “Dianetics,” which explains what Hubbard believed caused irrational behavior, is considered scripture.
Opponents, such as a group calling itself Anonymous, claim the church targets its critics, overcharges for spiritual counseling and literature and doesn’t tell the whole truth about its teachings.
Some scholars of new religious movements blame the church’s heightened sensitivity for fueling controversy. The Church of Scientology carefully guards some of its theology and operations. For example, job applicants are asked whether they have worked for an intelligence agency.
“It has started working against their own best interests,” said Hugh Urban, a religion professor at Ohio State University. “This element of suspicion has become a part of the institution. It’s always afraid of attack and afraid of information leaking out.”
Comparing church records to files in a therapist’s office, Cusano said safeguards are necessary to protect the privacy of members who have gone through auditing.
Scholars of new religious movements also argue church membership has declined despite claims to the contrary. The church’s claims that it’s the fastest growing religion in the 21st century are “demonstrably not true,” said David Bromley, a religion professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. He said construction signifies large coffers, not necessarily a growing membership.
In fact, many people who seek Scientology services don’t join the church. Members say they don’t have to join. Wells, a carpenter, said the more prominent location will improve access to the practical tools Scientology has to offer for people of all faiths — not only Scientologists.
“The whole idea is to change conditions for the better,” he said. “Almost anyone has a condition in their life that could stand improvement. (Scientology) restores your own innate goodness.”
Connie Blackhas been a member of the Chicago church for 15 years. The daughter of a Methodist minister, she was introduced to principles of Scientology at a chiropractor’s conference. The practices and principles answered many of the questions faith had failed to answer, she said.
Chicago Sun-Times, March 7, 2024
Church of Scientology expands in Chicago
The Printers Row location — which is next to a Columbia College dorm — had a grand opening last weekend, with help from Cook County state’s attorney candidate Bob Fioretti.
By Mariah Rush and Robert Herguth
The Church of Scientology, which faces a California lawsuit that labels the group a “criminal enterprise,” is moving and expanding its footprint in Chicago with a boost from former Ald. Bob Fioretti, a Republican candidate for Cook County state’s attorney.
Fioretti was on hand for the opening last weekend of the church’s location at a century-old mid-rise at 650 S. Clark St., where he lauded the organization amid protests.
“What’s awesome about the Church of Scientology is that you get it,” Fioretti said, according to the church. “You understand the character of this city on so many levels.”
“I was pleased to speak with their congregation this weekend,” Fioretti said in a written statement. “It was a reminder of the importance of free speech, free association, free expression and free religion.”
The Church of Scientology has faced high-profile criticism over the years. Prosecutors once accused the group of retaliating against critics. Danny Masterson, a former Scientologist, was convicted of rape last year, and his accusers say in a lawsuit filed in California that the church tried to intimidate them to remain silent. Actress Leah Remini, a former member, became an outspoken critic of the group with a book and documentary, and in a lawsuit, she said she faced harassment and intimidation after leaving and criticizing the group.
Fioretti, a Catholic, said helping Scientology navigate the city bureaucracy to open the site was no different than what he’d provide for any other faith group.
Fioretti is a “long-term” associate of Scientology, according to Bari Berger, a spokeswoman for the group.
Records show Scientology — which is based in Clearwater, Florida, and has a following among Hollywood’s elite, including actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta — bought the South Loop building in 2007.
Why it took so long for the Scientology site to open — 17 years or so after it was bought — was not clear. Berger said an “extensive” renovation and the pandemic contributed to a delay. She said the new Chicago site is part of a larger expansion into new areas. Outposts in Texas and Mexico recently opened, and locations in France, Puerto Rico and South Africa will open by the end of the month.
Scientology’s former storefront location at 3011 N. Lincoln Ave. closed around the time the new site opened, an employee said. The prominent Printers Row location is in a larger and more attractive building. The extensive renovation took 25,000 hours of work, Berger said.
The seven-story site was once called the “Artcraft Building” and initially served as office and commercial space for artists and media publications. In 1920, the Chicago Board of Education administration rented the space.
The California lawsuit, filed by former Scientologists, accuses the group of, among other things: unpaid child labor, identity theft, covering up sexual assaults committed by members, human trafficking and money-laundering.
Scientology has called those claims a “complete fabrication.”
Scientology is losing members, yet its financial reserves remain formidable, critics say.
“For appearances sake,” the group’s leaders “need to be able to present to the remaining members that they are still ‘expanding and growing,’ even though they’re not in actuality,” said Claire Headley, a former Scientologist and president of the Aftermath Foundation, which helps Scientologists leave the group.
Scientology’s stated goal is “true spiritual enlightenment and freedom for all.” But some critics, including former Scientologists, say it’s simply a money-making scheme, with younger adults often sought-after recruits.
Headley says of Scientology: “They want to have nice buildings. Preferably in locations with a lot of foot traffic or access to people moving.”
Former member Katherine Olson, now a critic of the group, says Scientology has been known to cozy up to law enforcement and politicians “so it looks like that they’re doing a good thing” and creates the appearance that the “political structure … backs them up.”
Some Columbia students were approached by Scientology members on the way to their dorm and asked for their “identification information.”
“They were handing things out to students to show how friendly and kind they were,” said a Columbia sophomore. “But then they were harassing us.”
Some students said protesters advised students not to give any personal information to Scientologists.
Berger said, “Many new neighbors have told us how happy they are to see the church finally open in its new home. We look forward to working hand-in-hand with our many community partners.”
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