In recent years, documentaries about the Church of Scientology have sparked widespread debate. Some portray the church as a force for good, aiming to heal the world, while others label it a destructive cult that tears families apart.

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The spotlight on Scientology intensified when actress Leah Remini exposed the church's practices in her 2016-2019 docuseries, Leah Remini: Scientology & the Aftermath.

While the church's major hubs are in Florida and California, it begs the question: does Scientology have a presence in Connecticut? The answer is yes, but the reality of their establishment in the state is a tale of unfulfilled promises and unmet goals.

What Was the Church's Plan for a Connecticut Base? 

The Church of Scientology of Connecticut purchased the former Masonic lodge and furniture store at 949 Whalley Ave. in New Haven in 2003 for $1.5 million, intending to convert it into a church base and study center.

However, despite promises to renovate, the building has remained vacant and deteriorating for over 20 years. The church has instead operated out of a nearby property, and local residents have long advocated for the site to be redeveloped to benefit the neighborhood. The most recent detailed information about the building comes from a March 2024 article in the New Haven Independent, which highlights the ongoing blight.

For much of this time, the church avoided paying property taxes by claiming the building was designated for religious use. However, in early 2024, the city revoked the church’s tax-exempt status, stating that the building was not being used for a religious purpose due to the lack of renovation or construction. The church is now required to pay property taxes, with an estimated 2023 tax bill of over $77,000 based on a property assessment of $2.07 million. This information, based on the New Haven Independent article, indicates that the church's plans to restore the site remain uncertain.

Here is the building at 949 Whalley Avenue that has sat vacant for two decades.

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Where are the Connecticut's Scientology Headquarters? 

Hidden In New Haven: Explore Connecticut’s Only Scientology Center

The Church of Scientology of Connecticut purchased the former Masonic lodge and furniture store at 949 Whalley Ave. in New Haven in 2003 for $1.5 million, intending to convert it into a church base and study center. However, despite promises to renovate, the building has remained vacant and deteriorating for over 20 years. Instead, the church operates out of a nearby rental property at 980 Whalley Ave. 

Take a look inside the building and learn more about the Church's History here. 

Photos: Zillow ,Google Instant Street View & Getty Images

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

Do all of the Connecticut based Scientologists live at the center in New Haven? 

Scientologists do not all live in Church-owned buildings. While some members may reside in Church berthing facilities, lower-level staff and non-staff members are free to live wherever they choose. This is the case in Connecticut and any other state where Scientology has a center.

Does the Church of Scientology in New Haven Share Public Information About Their Center? 

Yes and no. The New Haven Scientology center does have a website, but it primarily focuses on the general practices of the church and provides little information about the specifics of the New Haven location.

How Does the Church of Scientology Describe it's Practices? 

This is a brief description pulled directly from their website: Developed by L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology is a religion that 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. Scientology addresses the spirit—not the body or mind—and believes that Man is far more than a product of his environment, or his genes. Scientology comprises a body of knowledge which extends from certain fundamental truths. Prime among these are: Man is an immortal spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized.

How do the Church's Critics Describe It?

Jason Beghe

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Actor and former Scientologist Jason Beghe told Rolling Stone Magazine:

It’s just funny. I know [the Scientologists] hate me so much. Their entire scripture says that if you leave Scientology, you’re going to fall apart and die. The fact that I kicked their a**es and have these tough guys posters saying “Don’t F*** With Me” all over the country, there was a little bit of a giggle in that for me.

Leah Remini

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Actress and former member Leah Remini has had a lot to say, this is one of her many quotes about the church:

Scientology is like going through the looking glass - a surreal and disturbing journey into the depths of manipulation and control.
Mike Rinder 
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Mike Rinder is a former top-ranking member of Scientology who fled the church and partnered with Leah Remini to help take them down. Rinder once had this to say about the church and its practices:
Families torn apart. Children victimized. Women forced to have abortions. People defrauded. A literal trial of death and destruction.
Rinder passed away at the age of 69 just days ago.
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Inner Sanctum - Behind the Curtain on Danbury's Mysterious Free Masons

John Arizzi is the sitting Worshipful Master for Danbury’s Union Lodge #40 of the Ancient Free and accepted Masons. Arizzi described his role to me in layman’s terms, saying that in any other organization, he’d be called the President. This position is voted on every year by the group, and Arrizi has held the position multiple times. Arrizi was my tour guide into a world many people never see, the inner sanctum of Danbury's Free Masons. 

The Danbury Free Masons meet in a building at 337 Main Street. The building was originally the Meeker mansion. The Meekers were the prominent Danbury family who ran Meeker's Hardware. It's worth noting, that a separate Masonic Lodge is headquartered in the same building, Lodge 39. Lodge 39 is originally from Georgetown, CT but when their member numbers dwindled, they sold their building and moved to Danbury. 

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

Creepy CT - New Images Beyond the Walls of Newtown's Abandoned Asylum - Fairfield Hills

Since it's frowned upon (illegal) to go inside the buildings without permission, there are not that many photos/videos from inside the walls. When a new video or photos surface, I jump on it, and that is exactly what I did when these images appeared on September 23, 2022.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

See Newtown Sanitarium Through the Lens of an Award Winning Photographer

Fairfield Hills Psychiatric Hospital is located in Newtown, CT. The campus has been in varying degrees of restoration/development since it closed on 1995. The Town of Newtown owns it and has turned some structures into municipal buildings while others have been leased out to private businesses. The remaining vacant structures have become magnets for ghost hunters and artists.

Recently, I spoke to one of those artists, a photographer named Bryant Abbot. Our digital talk was unique and entertaining. Abbot shared his photos, his personal story and his inspirations with me. Below are his pictures of Fairfield Hills and some of what we talked about. 

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

Danbury Man Shares His UFO Eyewitness Story and Photos

Everyone has a story to tell and some are more interesting than others. Recently, I was contacted by a Danbury man who had read an article I’d written about UFO’s and he wanted to tell me his story and share his photos.
 
From the opening sentence, I knew it was a story I wanted to hear and the pictures were even more intriguing. This is a UFO story from a Danbury man named Bill Salvador, in his own words. 

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

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