Scientologists: Hart Hotel project is moving forward

Officials from Battle Creek's Church of Scientology say they would one day like to make the historic Hart Hotel building on the corner of North Washington Avenue and West Van Buren Street the local church's home.

It's been 17 years since they bought the building at 31 North Washington Ave., but Jeff Breedlove says plans to remodel the building are moving forward, though a start date for the project hasn't been set. 

In front of the dark and vacant former hotel and hot spot, Breedlove, the director of community affairs for the Church of Scientology in Battle Creek, shows flashy renderings of a historic building revamped with a bright, modern look.

Plans call for a cafe with orange chairs and walls, a "purification center" for detoxifying the body and a ballroom that can be utilized by the community.

"Our new Church will include public information multimedia displays about the Scientology religion and our humanitarian programs, and a chapel for Sunday services as well as community events," Breedlove said. "We are very excited about the new facility and looking forward to working with other churches and community groups on community outreach programs."

In February, the church submitted an application to the city's inspection department to rehabilitate the building. The city needs a contractor of record and permit fees of just over $15,000 to issue the permit for construction.

"It appears to be a worthy project to have in our city," said Richard Bolek, chief building official and supervisor of the city's inspection division. "We are waiting for them to finish the steps on their side to begin that construction."

Scientologists move to use Hart Hotel

When the building is redeveloped, the exterior marble will be restored and a Church of Scientology sign will run vertically down the side of the building like Kellogg Hotel's sign did in the 1930s. Inside, there will be brightly lit rooms with modern fixtures. A third of the building will be available for the community to come in and learn about Scientology and the church's "social betterment programs," Breedlove said.

Scientology is a religion founded in the 1950s by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, whose works form the group's scripture. It was long known for vigorous recruitment of new members and for the high-profile Hollywood actors who call themselves members, Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Elisabeth Moss among them.

Its website says it "offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and one’s relationship to self, family, groups, mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the supreme being." 

In the Battle Creek area, the church has a few thousand members, Breedlove said.

The Church of Scientology has two locations in Michigan: Battle Creek and Detroit. The church currently operates out of 151 North Ave. in Battle Creek and will soon have a new downtown Detroit location, Breedlove said.

Last year, the Church of Scientology was issued a building permit for $8 million in renovations on a historic vacant building in downtown Detroit that the church has owned for a decade. 

"The church buys a lot of the historic places, and we renovate them," Breedlove said.

The former Hart Hotel was originally the W.K. Kellogg Hotel built in 1930. It was the town hot spot for events from weddings to business luncheons. 

The hotel was named after its owner, Thomas P. Hart  who purchased it in 1938. The name stayed with it when it was sold in 1948. When Don Harris purchased it in 1970 it became known as the Hart Motor Inn. 

The inn was sold to the Calhoun County Community Alternative Program Inc. in 1990. The program used the building to house non-violent, first-time criminal offenders until it shut down in December 1999. 

The church purchased the building in 2001 and did some work on it including replacement of the windows in 2005.

And then it languished.

The city designated it a dangerous building in 2015, and that designation remains.

In 2016, the church requested and received a special-use permit to utilize the building for church services.

In July of this year, city officials requested a sit-down meeting with the church to discuss the plans for the building.

Assistant City Manager Ted Dearing said the renderings were "fairly impressive" and the city was encouraged by the fact that the church has the construction drawings done.

"It looks like a thorough renovation of the interior and exterior of the building," Dearing said. 

"It has such historical significance to the city of Battle Creek. There is just a real desire to see it renovated and put back in productive use."