“We own a tremendous amount of property. We own a tremendous amount of material, and so forth. And it keeps growing. But that's not important.

When buildings get important to us, for God's sake, some of you born revolutionists, will you please blow up central headquarters. If someone had put some H.E. [high explosives] under the Vatican long ago, Catholicism might still be going.

Don't get interested in real estate. Don't get interested in the masses of buildings, because that's not important.”

Tape: The Genus of Scientology
Anatomy of the Human Mind Congress
31 December 1960

“In twenty years an enormous amount of experience has been gained regarding the quarters and housing of orgs.

From this experience there are only a few clear-cut lessons. These follow:

A. VIABILITY of the org… is the first and foremost consideration … not how posh or what repute or what image.

… Example: Stockholm took very posh, fancy quarters. Up to that time it has been viable. The overload of expense rapidly upset the salary sum, the staff began to moonlight (work on other jobs), and the org all but collapsed until cheaper quarters were found.

Example: Phoenix 1955. A beautiful, big building at small expense was found. It was very prominent … the full reserves of the org went into furnishing these quarters. The area had to be abandoned, losing all reserves.

Elizabeth, New Jersey, 1950. The shabby quarters there made lots of money. Beautiful country quarters were under survey for purchase. The psychiatric block… began action [in the area] to invoke a law against medical schools. If the better quarters had been purchased, they would have been lost.

… CONCLUSION: Viability of economics must not exceed the income of the org. The SAFE figure for rent and mortgage payments must not exceed 15 percent to 17 percent of the gross income of the org.

… C. Image is a secondary consideration. Example: Hotel Reycar Alicante Spain was relatively cheap. It was quite posh. Students complained as it cost a bit more than they were willing to pay. Image in this case worked against the org.

Example: Johannesburg's three old buildings foolishly sold and the money squandered has yet to attain the income it made in its “old, horrible quarters” despite its newer image.

… An org which adventures more than 15 percent of its current gross income for rent or purchase payments can get into far more serious trouble than an org with a poor building image.”

HCO P/L 23 September 1970
Quarters, Policy Regarding — Historical
(OEC Vol. 7, p. 1394)