“Sunny, go down to the big room in the lower basement and help them”, my unit in charge told me.
I was on the RPF, the Rehabilitation Project Force, a program for wayward Sea Org members, that was often referred to as a gulag to explain what it was like.
We were doing the remodel of Celebrity Centre in Hollywood.
I entered the large room and there were gigantic sections of canvas with 20 or 30 RPFers hunched over, painting with small brushes of various sizes.
I looked onto the closest canvas and saw outlines of leaves rubber stamped all over the sides.
The only woman there not in an RPF black boilersuit told me to grab a brush and start painting the leaves.
And so I joined this large group painting hundreds and hundreds of rubber stamped leaves on this canvas, while the woman added more and more leaves, then she went on to paint the vines that connected all the leaves.
She later added little bugs to it, mostly ladybugs. Then, at the end, she added two tiny Volkswagen bugs: one red, one yellow.
Once completed, we were tasked with installing it on the ceiling of the Renaissance restaurant, the restaurant that is located on the Franklin side of Celebrity Centre.
The restaurant has two sections: one is indoor seating and, as “outdoor” seating, a glass enclosed patio that wraps around that section of the building, which is where these large sections of canvas were placed.
My apologies the above photo was the best version I was able to find online of the ceiling area. Its really quite nice, as it gives an outdoor feel with the sky painted in the middle, and the vines coming down the sides of it.
With so many RPFers working on meticulously painting each leaf, the project took about a week.
Years later, an appraisal was needed for CC Int property. I believe this was connected to the tax exempt agreement with the IRS.
For some strange reason, the appraisal was supposed to be kept secret.
Anyway, mid 90’s, that appraisal was $52 million for the building and grounds, one million of that was for that artwork on the ceiling.
Although there were some hired contractors for some of the work at CC in the late 80’s and early 90’s, most of that remodel, top to bottom, including the exterior, was done by RPF members, who were paid $11 per week for their hard work.
After the remodel, 90% of the RPF members were given an amnesty and relieved of the RPF, to get assigned to work at Celebrity Centre.
I think when the property was originally purchased, it was no more than $2 million.
Pretty good for a non-profit trying to save the world! Hip hip hooray!
Sunny, fwiw I went through the tax records. It was slated for demolition when Scientology purchased it for $1.5 million in 1973.