Fort Harrison Hotel

Infobox religious building
building_name= Fort Harrison Hotel


caption=
location= Clearwater, Florida
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religious_affiliation= Scientology
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status= Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, Inc.
leadership= Religious Technology Center
website= [http://www.fso.org/ Flag Service Organization]
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architecture_style= Mediterranean Revival
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year_completed= 1926
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The Fort Harrison Hotel serves as the flagship building of the Flag Land Base, the Church of Scientology's spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, Inc., a Florida corporation.

The hotel opened in 1926 as the New Fort Harrison Hotel, replacing the former Fort Harrison Hotel, and for many years was Clearwater's most luxurious hotel. It was a focal point of the community during the Great Depression and World War II.

In 1965, the Rolling Stones wrote their hit song "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" there. [ [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/56962576.html?dids=56962576:56962576&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jul+23%2C+2000&author=THOMAS+C.+TOBIN&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=1.F&desc=CLEARWATER%3A+CAN%27T+GET+NO+SATISFACTION&pf=1 Thirty-five years ago, the Rolling Stones created rock 'n' roll history in this somnolent city] , St. Petersburg Times, July 23, 2000] It was bought by the Jack Tar Hotels chain and was then known as the New Fort Harrison Hotel, a Jack Tar Hotel.

By the 1970s the hotel, then known as the "Jack Tar Harrison", had begun to fall into disrepair. In 1975, the Church of Scientology purchased the building under the cover name "United Churches of Florida" and began its restoration. In the 1980s, the building was brought back into a state of good repair including restoration of its marble floors and art deco details and craftmanship.

It provides accommodations and course and auditing rooms for parishioners studying at high levels of Scientology.

The Fort Harrison Hotel is joined by a walkway bridge over South Fort Harrison Avenue to the unfinished Super Power Building on the other side of the street.

Lisa McPherson

In 1995, the Fort Harrison Hotel and the Church of Scientology were embroiled in a controversy regarding the death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson. McPherson had had a minor car accident, after which she behaved strangely, taking off her clothes in public; against medical advice, Church staffers got her out of the hospital and took her to the Fort Harrison Hotel for "rest and relaxation". Seventeen days later, she was taken to a different hospital and pronounced dead on arrival due to malnutrition and dehydration; the subsequent investigation revealed that she had been receiving unlicensed medical treatment at the hotel, including force-feeding and the administration of drugs prescribed by a doctor who never saw her.

Florida State Medical Examiner Joan Wood relinquished her Florida medical license in 2000 under pressure by the state when she changed her findings regarding the cause of Lisa McPherson's death to "accidental", forcing charges to be dropped.cite news|author=William R. Levesque|publisher=St. Petersburg Times|date=2000-09-30|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/61494513.html?dids=61494513:61494513&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+30%2C+2000&author=WILLIAM+R.+LEVESQUE&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=1.B&desc=Medical+examiner+leaves+office|title=Medical examiner leaves office|accessdate=2008-02-01] [cite news|author=Susan Taylor Martin|publisher=St. Petersburg Times|date=2005-07-09|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/865000411.html?dids=865000411:865000411&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jul+9%2C+2005&author=SUSAN+TAYLOR+MARTIN&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=1.B&desc=Scientology+case+takes+toll+on+doctor|title=Scientology case takes toll on doctor|accessdate=2008-02-01] [cite news|author=Craig Pittman|publisher=St. Petersburg Times|date=2000-06-13|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/57230113.html?dids=57230113:57230113&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jun+13%2C+2000&author=CRAIG+PITTMAN&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=1.A&desc=McPherson+case+expected+to+haunt+medical+examiner+Series%3A+STATE+DROPS+CHARGES+AGAINST+SCIENTOLOGY|title=McPherson case expected to haunt medical examiner|accessdate=2008-02-01] In 1995, Wood had said that McPherson died of complications from dehydration after spending 17 days in the care of fellow Scientologists.

There were other controversies surrounding Wood's performance, including cases of apparent misdiagnoses of the cause of death. [cite news|author=Cary Davis|publisher=St. Petersburg Times|date=2002-12-17|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/268857241.html?dids=268857241:268857241&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Dec+17%2C+2002&author=CARY+DAVIS&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=3&desc=Lawsuit+blames+medical+examiner|title=Lawsuit blames medical examiner|accessdate=2008-02-01] After she resigned, 150 autopsies performed under her supervision had to be reviewed. [cite news|author=Thomas C. Tobin|publisher=St. Petersburg Times|date=2000-04-13|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/52616854.html?dids=52616854:52616854&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Apr+13%2C+2000&author=THOMAS+C.+TOBIN&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=1.A&desc=Questions+put+150+autopsies+in+doubt|title=Questions put 150 autopsies in doubt|accessdate=2008-02-01]

Other Scientologist deaths

According to a 1997 article in the "St. Petersburg Times", since 1980 "at least eight members of the Church of Scientology have died in Clearwater under circumstances that leave their friends, families and in some cases law enforcement authorities looking for their own answers."cite news
first = Morgan
last = Lucy
url = http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/23570056.html?dids=23570056:23570056&FMTS=ABS:FT
title = For some Scientologists, pilgrimage has been fatal
publisher = St. Petersburg Times
date = December 7, 1997
accessdate = 2006-12-04] Two of those deaths occurred at the Fort Harrison Hotel:

* Josephus A. Havenith, 45, who died in February 1980 at the Fort Harrison Hotel in a bathtub filled with water so hot it burned his skin off. The coroner noted that Havenith's head was not underwater, yet showed signs of drowning. [ [http://www.whyaretheydead.net/room771.html Death of Scientologist Josephus A. Havenith ] ]
* Heribert Pfaff, 31, who died of an apparent seizure in the Fort Harrison Hotel in August 1988 after he quit taking medication that controlled his seizures and was placed instead on a program of vitamins and minerals as suggested by the Church of Scientology.

Scientology officials say these deaths are isolated, statistically normal, cases. They charge that any alleged connection is based on the "ill-formed suspicions" of Church critics.

ee also

*Scientology
*Dianetics
*Church of Scientology
*Religious Technology Center
*Church of Scientology International
*Church of Spiritual Technology
*Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, Inc.

References

External links

* [http://www.fso.org Flag Service Organization] - International Religious Retreat
** [http://www.fso.org/en_US/flag/history/index.html The Fort Harrison] - Flag History > The Fort Harrison
* [http://www.flag.org/ Flag.org] Scientology in Clearwater
** [http://www.scientology.org/flag_fh.mov QuickTime VR tour] of the Fort Harrison (be sure to enable "Hot Spots")
* [http://www.pcpao.org/?pg=http://www.pcpao.org/general_nadet.php?pn=1529160000013001001 Property ownership record of the Fort Harrison Hotel]
* [http://www.sunbiz.org/scripts/cordet.exe?action=DETFIL&inq_doc_number=758400&inq_came_from=NAMBWD&cor_web_names_seq_number=0000&names_name_ind=N&names_cor_number=709762&names_name_seq=0000&names_name_ind=N&names_comp_name=CHURCHSCIENTOLOGYFLORIDA&names_filing_type=DOMNP Corporate filing of the FSO]