From Dave Brigham:
As impressive as this place is physically -- two-tone brickwork; beautiful details over the door, which is sturdy and yet welcoming; six well-appointed condominiums; an unbeatable location in Boston's Back Bay; views of the Charles River -- it's the building's history that makes it a one-of-a-kind gem.
This is the Hooper Mansion, a place with a history that touches on Brahmins, a city-defining dog breed, murder, amazing inventions and, just perhaps, Tom Cruise. WARNING: THIS POST IS GOING TO PLACES I NEVER IMAGINED WHEN I FIRST STARTED WRITING IT....
Converted to condos in 2016, the mansion was built in 1889 for Robert and Helen Hooper. Mr. H was the treasurer and president of the Constitution Wharf Company. Like many Brahmins of his day, Hooper had plenty of money and, I'm guessing, exquisite taste and manners. But history wouldn't remember him if it weren't for his dog.
From the web site of the Boston Terrier Club of America: "....Hooper, of Boston came into possession of a dog named Judge....Judge, commonly known as Hooper's Judge, was destined to be the ancestor of almost all the true modern Boston Terriers. He was a cross between an English Bulldog and a white English Terrier. He was a strongly built, high stationed dog of about thirty-two pounds weight. In color he was a dark brindle, with a white stripe in the face. His head was square and blocky, and he resembled the present Boston Terrier in that he had a nearly even mouth. Judge was bred to Burnett's Gyp (or Kate)....a white bitch, owned by Mr. Edward Burnett. She was of about twenty pounds weight, had a fine three-quarter tail, and was quite low stationed."
Hence the plaque by the front door that drew me in.
I wish I'd taken more pictures. To see exquisite shots of the exterior and interior, check out this Hacin + Associates web page.
I took these two pictures and moved along, happy to have learned some cool canine lore, but completely unaware of the deeper history of this place. It wasn't until I poked around online while writing this post that I learned about its "history worthy of a BBC miniseries," as my primary source puts it.
After the Hoopers, the next owner was inventor Mabel Slater. A widow when she resided in this palatial home, "Mrs. Slater is credited with developing both an ice-cooled refrigerator and a sleeping bag that doubled as a garment used by soldiers in World War I," per this fantastic account by Longleaf Lumber, an antique and reclaimed lumber mill that "recovered several trailer-loads of reclaimed wood" from the mansion before it's conversion to condos. Considered an eccentric and evidently a woman with a heart of gold, Mrs. Slater was known to leave a rear door of the mansion open so local poor folks could come in for food and shelter. This was a great idea...until it wasn't.
"In 1917, as reported by the Boston Globe, a violent intruder made his way in through this entrance, searching for Mrs. Slater. When butler Emile Knabe attempted to stop this intruder, he was shot and killed," per Longleaf's blog.
Wow, that's quite a bit of history! But wait, there's more....
From Longleaf: "In later years, Hooper Mansion has served as a dining club, a secretarial school, and most recently, until its sale in 2013, as the Church of Scientology’s regional base."
Whoa, whoa, whoa. What?!
I am OBSESSED with Scientology! I knew that the "church" had a Boston location (from 1975 to 2014, per a Boston Globe article I found online) but I had no idea where it was. I certainly didn't think I would stumble across it unknowingly. OK, let's get into this a little. Bear with me.
Dating back to seeing the 1976 miniseries "Helter Skelter," which debuted on CBS four days before I turned 11 years old, I have been more than a little intrigued by cults. The murder scenes were extremely bloody, as I recall, and the word "PIG" was scrawled on the walls in blood. When Charles Manson shows up in court with a swastika on his head and his zombie-eyed female followers shave their heads and start yelling in the courtroom, I was chilled to the bone.
I mean, check out this trailer! (I'm a little confused, as this clip shows a woman naked from the waist up, being hassled by cops. I'm sure that was edited out of the TV version.)
In addition to the Manson Family, over the years I've been fascinated by the Branch Davidians and David Koresh in Waco, Texas; Jim Jones and the People's Temple, who committed mass murder/suicide in the jungles of Guyana; the oddballs of Heaven's Gate, who also committed mass suicide while wearing matching tunics and Nikes; and the followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in Oregon. I find myself absolutely perplexed how seemingly normal people can become spellbound by charismatic leaders and do things that they probably never imagined they would, from killing people to committing suicide to, well, wearing matching tunics and Nikes.
Scientology fits right into this pattern. With their e-meters, which are basically lie detectors through which "auditors" interrogate members to find out their deepest secrets; belief in reincarnation; exorbitant fees for the massive number of classes members must take; the requirement to spend lavishly on the books of founder, science fiction writer-turned-religion-inventor L. Ron Hubbard, whom they mythologize to ridiculous extents (i.e., he cured himself of injuries suffered during World War II); and the existence of a ship where members are sometimes sent to live for indefinite periods while they are continuously monitored and berated, Scientologists are out-and-out crazy.
In order to learn more about just how insane this cult is, I religiously (pun intended) watched A&E's "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath," in which the former "The King of Queens" actress and one-time Scientologist explodes the myths about the cult and its demonic practices. In interviews with other former "church" members, Remini and co-host Mike Rinder expose the hypocrisy of the organization and question why Scientology remains tax-exempt and free from criminal investigation. Cult leader David Miscavige and others are accused by former members of using violence and intimidation to maintain an iron-fisted rule over followers.
Before Remini's show launched, I was riveted by Marc Headley's Blown for Good, in which he describes in almost excruciating detail his life at Scientology's "Gold Base" in California, and his harrowing escape after 15 years. Writing these words makes me realize I need to read more books like this. Although perhaps ones that are a bit more well-written.
So, anyway, whenever I come across something Scientology related, I pay attention.
That's why, a few years ago when I learned that a decrepit building in Boston's South End that I'd noticed before had once belonged to the Cult of Hubbard, I scoped it out (see April 8, 2018, "Tom Cruise Slept Here...Well, Maybe"). Somehow while researching that place, I didn't learn about the Hooper Mansion connection.
So, back to the home of Hooper's Judge.
The Church of Scientology, which, to be clear, is not a church, conducted New England-based business at this location for nearly 40 years. So just what the hell went on in this place for four decades? I have no idea, but I'm sure it involved heavy-handed brainwashing and extraction of hard-earned cash from people's wallets. I hope that every once in a while some famous Scientologists -- Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Beck, Jenna Elfman -- stopped by to dazzle the everyday jamokes with their diamond-encrusted e-meters.
The Massachusetts Scientology HQ is now in Quincy, just south of Boston. At that facility, they offer a Personal Efficiency Course, free Personality Tests and screenings of "The Story of Diabetics."
I now return you to your normal routine. Although I suspect you're going to do some more digging online into this bizarre and brutal organization....
