L. Ron Hubbard House at Camelback Recognized as Historic Site by Arizona Historical Society
Phoenix, Arizona (PRWEB) March 19, 2015 -- On Saturday, 14 March, local residents, community leaders and historic preservationists from across Arizona gathered at the L. Ron Hubbard House at Camelback to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of its restoration. The home was thoroughly researched and restored to reflect its original architecture, interior design and furnishings, highlighting the research and works of Mr. Hubbard while residing there from 1952 to 1954. Following his 1950 publication of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, Mr. Hubbard continued his research in Phoenix, addressing not only the subject of the mind but that of Man as a spiritual being, thus making Phoenix the birthplace of the Scientology religion. In recognition of its exemplary restoration and historical significance, the property was presented with a Historic Site Marker by the Arizona Historical Society.
Mr. Ben Davis of the Friends of L. Ron Hubbard Foundation welcomed guests and described the property’s restoration. “Today we celebrate not only the 10 year anniversary of the restoration of this site, but we also recognize it as a portion of the broad preservation of Phoenix history and of Arizona history.... Two years of exhaustive research into the house and its furnishings carried this restoration project to every living person who had been here and who could be found and interviewed, through thousands of archival photos and through all existing documents in archives.... The result is a building that remains fully true to the look and feel it had when it was used by Mr. Hubbard, and with the dynamics and life that it had at that time.”
Mr. Hubbard’s 600-plus lectures from the Phoenix time period were noted as being delivered at historic locations throughout the Valley of the Sun including downtown’s Hotel Westward Ho, the Phoenix Theatre and the Monroe School (now Children’s Museum of Phoenix) as well as open air lectures at the 22-acre orange grove at 48th Street and Indian School Road, then known as the Hubbard College and more recently as the Arizona Republic’s R&G Ranch.
Executive Director of the The Arizona Historical Society, Dr. Anne Woosley, traveled from Tucson to commemorate the occasion as an honored guest speaker and described the Historic Marker program as fulfilling the purpose “that important historic sites ought to be not only preserved, but identified and marked and presented to the public so that audiences across the state could be informed about the history of Arizona.” Dr. Woosley remarked that the Historic Marker for the L. Ron Hubbard House is particularly suitable to that purpose as it recognizes the house “as a fine example of mid-century architecture scrupulously researched and brought back to its original state” and also recognizes the importance of the individual himself, describing Mr. Hubbard as “a dynamic leader and one of the most influential and provocative thinkers of the 20th century.”
The Historic Site Marker at the L. Ron Hubbard House reads, “Author, humanitarian and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986) lived in this suburban ranch-style home from 1952 to 1954. During that time, he formulated the fundamental principles of the Scientology religion and produced extensive writings and lectures describing its philosophy and doctrine. The home is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, at the national level of significance, as the single most appropriate work to represent the Phoenix period of Hubbard’s life and the formative years of his teachings on Scientology.”
Mr. Davis expressed strong appreciation for the Arizona Historical Society and asked guests to support the Society’s mission “to collect, preserve, interpret, and disseminate the history of Arizona and the West.” At the presentation’s closing, all were welcomed to view the historic property, including Mr. Hubbard’s 1947 Buick Super 8, interior furnishings, historic photos of Phoenix and the study in which he authored early texts on the Scientology religion.
Francisco Sanz Polo, [email protected], (323) 953 3292, [email protected]
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