PHOENIX, ARIZONA

PHOENIX RISING: GRAND OPENING OF HISTORIC LANDMARK WHERE DIANETICS & SCIENTOLOGY UNITED

MAY 31, 2025

A newly dedicated L. Ron Hubbard Landmark Site commemorates the unification of Dianetics and Scientology—and stands as a testament to a transformative era.

A modest midcentury building at 4451 East Osborn Road in Phoenix was once described by L. Ron Hubbard as “a beautiful place, in the middle of a citrus grove.” But to the people of Phoenix—and in fact to Scientologists worldwide—it has become so much more than that.

On a desert-warm Saturday evening, that heritage building was opened again, reborn as an L. Ron Hubbard Landmark Site. A location of international importance, this is “where the future changed forever,” said the Church of Scientology Preservationist, who officiated the event and oversaw the site’s historic restoration.

The forever change referred to was that, from here, L. Ron Hubbard (LRH) not only published Dianetics 55!, but completed the work leading to the legendary Unification Congress, held six miles away at the Phoenix Little Theatre. There, Mr. Hubbard declared that, for the first time ever, two subjects—Dianetics and Scientology—were to be united. That Congress became an event the Journal of Scientology immediately declared as “the most important thing that ever happened in Dianetics and Scientology.”

By 1954, Phoenix had become the center of the Scientology universe. It was the home of the Hubbard Association of Scientologists International (HASI)—located in seven facilities nearby in the heart of downtown Phoenix.

Now, some 70 years later, the Osborn Road site is a treasure of midcentury design and Scientology heritage restored to the precise way it appeared when Mr. Hubbard lived and worked there. Built in the Prairie style and touched with Moderne influence, original elements have been returned to how they once were, including the railroad trestle support beams, steel porthole windows and handcrafted maple cabinetry. Even the teardrop-shaped swimming pool and cascading stone waterfall now sparkle in their original mid-1950s splendor.

Today, an audience of Scientologists, community leaders and historians gathered at Osborn Road beneath an Arizona setting sun to celebrate a glorious ribbon-pull, opening the restored Landmark Site. Inside, they had the chance to see rare artifacts of history, as visitors can view Mr. Hubbard’s original desk where he wrote the milestone work Dianetics 55!

Also on view are personal items such as the Hammond S4 Chord Organ Mr. Hubbard enjoyed playing and his Coronado stereo cabinet console that filled the air with waltzes and jazz. Outside, even the glacier-blue Harley-Davidson Hydra-Glide and his 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe Station Wagon have been returned to their full vintage glory.

At the opening ceremony, dignitaries echoed the impact Mr. Hubbard had on Phoenix, now the fifth-largest city in the US. City Councilman Kevin Robinson, a retired police officer of 36 years, spoke with pride. “Phoenix is a city that doesn’t just rise—it rises again and again. From ancient canals carved by our Native American ancestors to the neighborhoods of today, this is a place of progress. Phoenix has always been a frontier town, not just in geography, but in spirit,” Robinson said. “Today we turn another page in this city’s history. This is a community achievement, so I extend my gratitude for what you’ve done for this neighborhood, for what you’ve achieved for our city and for helping history live again.”

Mr. Stan Patton, a heritage restoration specialist with 40 years of experience preserving some of Arizona’s most treasured landmarks, spoke of his unrivaled passion for the Osborn Road project. “What’s been accomplished here at this L. Ron Hubbard Landmark Site isn’t just building restoration, it’s recapturing a place and time. We were committed to bringing back every fixture, every detail as if Mr. Hubbard himself had just stepped out of the room,” Patton added, “and I believe we accomplished that. In fact, of all the projects I’ve done, I call this my life’s crowning accomplishment!”

John Jacquemart, who won the Arizona Governor’s Heritage Award for his work on historical sites, spoke of Mr. Hubbard’s enduring legacy. “I’ve spent my life listening to stories as a historian and an Arizona native. The stories we tell in these parts are the ones about lone riders, long shadows and lawless roads. Yet, the story of L. Ron Hubbard? It’s the most compelling of all. While this town was booming, Mr. Hubbard brought a different kind of growth. Not in land or lumber, but in ideas. His lectures filled our most iconic halls with a hunger for knowledge and a vision for the mind and spirit,” he said. “It’s a story Phoenix owns and, starting today, one it will never let go!”

Dr. Albert Celoza is the Executive Director of the Arizona Interfaith Movement and received the Arizona Professor of the Year Award. “Milestones for one religion are milestones for us all. And you could say we stand here in Phoenix on hallowed Scientology soil. After all, it’s where L. Ron Hubbard gave voice to a truth shared by all faiths: that man is, at his core, a spiritual being. Here, too, he wrote the Creed of the Church of Scientology,” Dr. Celoza said. “So I say this with conviction: as an interfaith leader—one who has stood beside rabbis, imams, monks, priests and pastors—I honor L. Ron Hubbard for his contribution to people of all faiths!”

This newest L. Ron Hubbard Landmark Site is the second in Phoenix. Just two miles away is another site at the base of Camelback Mountain. Previously opened in 2005, today it is officially recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.

All told, there are now eight such Landmark Sites open on three continents, including: Bay Head, New Jersey, where LRH wrote Dianetics, the bestselling book ever on the human mind; Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he formed the first Dianetics Foundation; the Founding Church that Mr. Hubbard established in Washington, DC; the original Hubbard Communications Office on Fitzroy Street in London, England; his Linksfield Ridge estate overlooking Johannesburg, South Africa; and his headquarters at Saint Hill in East Grinstead, England.

Each Landmark Site offers a literal and visual history of the work and advances Mr. Hubbard achieved during the time he was at that particular location. Each also features a room devoted to the wider story of Mr. Hubbard’s life of global exploration and research—including his pivotal accomplishments here in Phoenix, Arizona. In full, the sites mark Mr. Hubbard’s progressive steps to the founding of Dianetics and Scientology.

The next Landmark Site is slated to open this summer in Southern Africa—continuing the legacy of Mr. Hubbard’s work. Like Osborn Road, each represents a global tribute—preserved in space, alive in time and destined to inspire many more.