I think EVERYTHING about da way was HQ on the cheap. The brc itself was what- a National Home?
These were the "miracle" solution to post WWII housing shortage. Pre-fabricated, easy and quick to assemble, and CHEAP. Compared to something that would more likely survive a heavier wind storm..
This was the way's first *real* church building?
Cheap.
"housing" for summer school was the famous Wienerville Hilton (the barn)
cheap, and more cheap. The students PAID to come to the classes, didn't they?
The cold, hard metal fold up seats they sat on probably had "property of (insert name of closest funeral home)"
Let me tell you something about HQ. All of it with the exception of the Wierwille, chalet and corps-tel are CHEAP, and in bad repair due to deferred maintenance! An absolute money pit. Not to worry though, they treat everything like an old farm tractor. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Too bad "maintain" and "fix" are two totally different words.
- OSC - warehouse with offices thrown in as an afterthought
- BRC - utter homespun garbage. That place has blocks nailed together as studs in some of the walls, I ain't kidding either
- Founders Hall - Actually a quality building in some respects. But it's a DORM!!!! Not a place for families with small children!!
- Unit Park - Garbage modular homes
- Trailer Park - Needs to be demolished. The trailers are BEYOND garbage
- Wierwille Home - Actually nice place but no credit to the way international. I would credit the Wierwille family with that one, and not Wanda and the family either. They just occupy the joint.
- Maintenance Complex - Basically a storage building with offices installed as an afterthought. On most days you can get a real nice whiff of the water treatment plant next door.
- Way Woods Home - should be demolished, in very bad repair.
- Chalet and Corps-tel - Big money project to put a d@mned log cabin in the middle of a wooded lot. Really a nice example of how the higher ups have no problem spending large sums of money and having their followers sit on metal chairs and drinking out of used Styrofoam cups. What more can I say?
- PWA - Victor Paul Wierwille Prevailing Word Auditorium Really nice building with really nice craftsmanship. Too bad they can't fill more than the first two to three rows. But let's look at the bright side. It's the building they claim as their "Church" building. The one that justifies them operating as a church. So it probably pays for itself in preserving their tax exempt status and from having to fill out IRS form 990
I could get into all the "keystone cop" like efforts to maintain the place, but I will spare you for now. It's a lesson in inefficiency. Multiple departments backtracking on each other doing part of a job and leaving the rest undone for another department to come along, etc. Utter waster of money and resources.
What's this have to do with HQ on the cheap?
HQ is CHEAP. It's thrown together by amateurs and without planning. As numbers increased they rushed to accommodate without the slightest care for what problems they would encounter with their facilities years later. The occasional professional that comes along is treated like a novice until they learn to do things the HQ way - bumbling and bass ackwards in other words.
Prefabricated housing consists of components built in an off-site factory and assembled on the site of the house. Prefabrication made construction speedy: Once a foundation was laid, a house could be erected in two-to-five weeks. In 1948 a two-bedroom National Homes bungalow cost $5,750, with $300 down. In 1971, when the company issued debentures through Kuhn Loeb, a completed house cost $15,000 to $60,000.
The cost of the National Home was approximately 25 percent less than the cost of the average house.. and figuring in they didn't include a lot of the walls for partitioning off into bedrooms, kitchen, living room.. this one was probably even cheaper.
HQ on the cheap.. or was it HQ was BUILT on the cheap?
- OSC - warehouse with offices thrown in as an afterthought
<snip>
- PWA - Victor Paul Wierwille Prevailing Word Auditorium ...Really nice building with really nice craftsmanship.
Two things.....
1) Yeah, the OSC building was a shell in 1978 and roa storage was piling up on the northside. The building was sectioned off with half as a warehouse with overhead doors at both ends and a shipping/receiving dock on southwest corner. Other than that.....the trustees had no plans for offices or departments or food services.
2) The auditorium had decent construction.......BUT the architects totally messed up on bathroom facilities. They didn't take into account that twi would need EXTRA bathroom accommodations because of its usage. When the adv class runs there.....and 15-minute breaks are given.....EVERYONE NEEDS TO GO PEE and hurry back to class. Major, major oversight for the spiritual heavies.. sarc/
even wierwille's desk and leather chair from pfal filming were RETURNED
to a furniture company after the 1967 filming
I do remember seeing that film, maybe at AC72 at HQ? Not sure really.
But when you mentioned the furniture from the PFAL filming was returned, I had to laugh. I remember the Branch I ran had finally gotten a video class together around 1974. The problem was all I had was a 15 inch black and white TV. The limb's unit was already in use up in the big city or something. I was told to go buy a TV, use it and then return it. I felt slimy when I took it back. They charged a 20% restock fee, which I took out of the ABS from the class. I don't think God ever was bothered by the loss of the ABS. He likely was none too pleased about the theft from the TV store though.
We did get to watch the Superbowl that year in style however.
2) The auditorium had decent construction.......BUT the architects totally messed up on bathroom facilities. They didn't take into account that twi would need EXTRA bathroom accommodations because of its usage. When the adv class runs there.....and 15-minute breaks are given.....EVERYONE NEEDS TO GO PEE and hurry back to class. Major, major oversight for the spiritual heavies.. sarc/
Ha!! Another thing is the building faces to the north where there is nothing but a circle drive that cuts through the woods. To the west entrance is an overflow pond, pump house, and a couple transformers. MAJOR oversight. Of course I have heard that the PWA faces north so VPW would face north when he taught; as if that was some reverential thing for his holy piousness to do. Can someone verify the facing north thing? or is it just a screw up with a convenient cover story?
Ha!! Another thing is the building faces to the north where there is nothing but a circle drive that cuts through the woods. To the west entrance is an overflow pond, pump house, and a couple transformers. MAJOR oversight. Of course I have heard that the PWA faces north so VPW would face north when he taught; as if that was some reverential thing for his holy piousness to do. Can someone verify the facing north thing? or is it just a screw up with a convenient cover story?
OldSkool.....I don't think I've ever heard about the "facing north thing".....but always thought the main entrance, with circle drive, should have faced west. Just seems like as cars and people approached it, the major entrance should face westward. And, besides....then the smokers could stand out on the steps in the sunshine (or is there a non-smoking ban in effect now?).
Some poster a couple of years ago mentioned the leaking windows and the cleaning maintenance. From what I remember, he thought the angular windows and all were poorly designed.
OldSkool.....I don't think I've ever heard about the "facing north thing".....but always thought the main entrance, with circle drive, should have faced west. Just seems like as cars and people approached it, the major entrance should face westward. And, besides....then the smokers could stand out on the steps in the sunshine (or is there a non-smoking ban in effect now?).
Some poster a couple of years ago mentioned the leaking windows and the cleaning maintenance. From what I remember, he thought the angular windows and all were poorly designed.
Well, I will chalk it up to design flaw for now. Who ever heard of the front of a building facing nothing. Technically it should face west for curb appeal.
Leaking windows - Yep! Leaking roof from time to time as well. Also, a lot of deferred maintenance just like the rest of that place.
As to the borrowed desk and other props, I don't see a problem with that. Anyone filming borrows all the time to get the effect they want for the presentation. Or hiring the Big Top for RoA. Or hiring any other equipment.
However, if the stuff was borrowed "on approval" for a short period and then returned as unwanted - that's a different thing. That's like hiring props without paying the hire fee.
Like Hap says, "slimy." Not quite right. Not quite the fine Christian example that should be set.
What's the problem with prefabricated houses? Such have been around since time immemorial. Pre-fab houses (constructed off site and reassembled on-site) have been around in the UK since ... 100s? 1200s? Standard mode of construction in the 1500s, and some of those buildings are still in use!
Somehow I doubt the pre-fabs at HQ will have been built to last that long ... <_<
The grounds (and the interiors of the buildings) were kept immaculate when I was there. Over-clean, really. That's cut down a lot since practically everyone has left and there aren't enough bods to do all the necessary jobs, never mind the unnecessary ones.
Great expression in the UK, especially in the north: "Fur coat and no knickers."
All for show, and nothing of substance when it comes to it.
The housekeeping at HQ actually found out that some furniture had been damaged due to over polishing it... Geez. What a metaphor for the way twi treated people - reproof reproof correction confrontation (polishing) until they were damaged.
That old promo film had Walter Cummins, "college student".
Little known fact :
In 1972/73, there were no trailers in the back of the property, those were added to house the incoming 4th corps.
Now the little known part -
In '73 all the incoming comers for the 4th Corps got letters from Howard Allen letting them know that they would need to
Bring their own trailers.
I know - I got a letter and we got in touch with another couple doing pricing, etc. and trying to figure out what we'd need to have, to do, to know.
About a month later we got another letter saying the housing would be set up.
In the interim I called Howard and also spoke to Gene Randall there and gathered the spec's on what we'd need to do - like would there be pads (concrete), or was a 5th wheel preferable (and it wasn't clear but the 5th wheel set up was looking like the best route as I recall). I'd worked for a couple months in a mobile home factory, doing wiring, so I actually had some resources for information. And yes, I was thinking that if it wasn't going to be ready we'd just wait a year or till whenever it was.
Wierwille was always in a hurry. Emporia, same thing.
The original set of trailers were left on flat bed through the first winter with temporary wiring for heat and lights, and no water. Showers etc were in the EOB as it was called then. Early spring they started the installs.
It was an adventure at the time, but the pattern of the Way Nash at that time was that it was often short on money, then as time went on and money came in it was a matter of how to spend it.
I gotta tell you......I left the BRC meeting with less respect for Mr. and Mrs. Wierwille that night. <_<
When I was in the Corps, Mrs W taught us women, "When your husband is blessed...you will be blessed. You should actively work to see to that."
Knowing what I know today, she flat out LIED to us. there is no way she was blessed by his treatment of her. Shopping trips and hair dresser excursions can only go so far to distract a person.
I know a lot of people sympathize with her, but keep in mind she actively planted those ideas in the minds of innocent women.
I just biffed about 4 copies of "Christian Etiquette." And "The Art of Followship" (Donna M - how to follow one's husband) . And a whole series on a wife being a crown to her husband, an adornment to him...not really about the wife herself, though I only glanced at them.
It was a different era, but if Dotty'd stood up to VPW a bit more, all our lives would have been different. Either no Way ministry at all, or one of a proper decent flavor.
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Ham
I think EVERYTHING about da way was HQ on the cheap. The brc itself was what- a National Home?
These were the "miracle" solution to post WWII housing shortage. Pre-fabricated, easy and quick to assemble, and CHEAP. Compared to something that would more likely survive a heavier wind storm..
This was the way's first *real* church building?
Cheap.
"housing" for summer school was the famous Wienerville Hilton (the barn)
cheap, and more cheap. The students PAID to come to the classes, didn't they?
The cold, hard metal fold up seats they sat on probably had "property of (insert name of closest funeral home)"
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OldSkool
Let me tell you something about HQ. All of it with the exception of the Wierwille, chalet and corps-tel are CHEAP, and in bad repair due to deferred maintenance! An absolute money pit. Not to worry though, they treat everything like an old farm tractor. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Too bad "maintain" and "fix" are two totally different words.
- OSC - warehouse with offices thrown in as an afterthought
- BRC - utter homespun garbage. That place has blocks nailed together as studs in some of the walls, I ain't kidding either
- Founders Hall - Actually a quality building in some respects. But it's a DORM!!!! Not a place for families with small children!!
- Unit Park - Garbage modular homes
- Trailer Park - Needs to be demolished. The trailers are BEYOND garbage
- Wierwille Home - Actually nice place but no credit to the way international. I would credit the Wierwille family with that one, and not Wanda and the family either. They just occupy the joint.
- Maintenance Complex - Basically a storage building with offices installed as an afterthought. On most days you can get a real nice whiff of the water treatment plant next door.
- Way Woods Home - should be demolished, in very bad repair.
- Chalet and Corps-tel - Big money project to put a d@mned log cabin in the middle of a wooded lot. Really a nice example of how the higher ups have no problem spending large sums of money and having their followers sit on metal chairs and drinking out of used Styrofoam cups. What more can I say?
- PWA - Victor Paul Wierwille Prevailing Word Auditorium
Really nice building with really nice craftsmanship. Too bad they can't fill more than the first two to three rows. But let's look at the bright side. It's the building they claim as their "Church" building. The one that justifies them operating as a church. So it probably pays for itself in preserving their tax exempt status and from having to fill out IRS form 990
I could get into all the "keystone cop" like efforts to maintain the place, but I will spare you for now. It's a lesson in inefficiency. Multiple departments backtracking on each other doing part of a job and leaving the rest undone for another department to come along, etc. Utter waster of money and resources.
What's this have to do with HQ on the cheap?
HQ is CHEAP. It's thrown together by amateurs and without planning. As numbers increased they rushed to accommodate without the slightest care for what problems they would encounter with their facilities years later. The occasional professional that comes along is treated like a novice until they learn to do things the HQ way - bumbling and bass ackwards in other words.
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Ham
http://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/lehman/chrono.html?company=national_homes_corporation
From another site..
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1948.html
The cost of the National Home was approximately 25 percent less than the cost of the average house.. and figuring in they didn't include a lot of the walls for partitioning off into bedrooms, kitchen, living room.. this one was probably even cheaper.
HQ on the cheap.. or was it HQ was BUILT on the cheap?
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OldSkool
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skyrider
Two things.....
1) Yeah, the OSC building was a shell in 1978 and roa storage was piling up on the northside. The building was sectioned off with half as a warehouse with overhead doors at both ends and a shipping/receiving dock on southwest corner. Other than that.....the trustees had no plans for offices or departments or food services.
2) The auditorium had decent construction.......BUT the architects totally messed up on bathroom facilities. They didn't take into account that twi would need EXTRA bathroom accommodations because of its usage. When the adv class runs there.....and 15-minute breaks are given.....EVERYONE NEEDS TO GO PEE and hurry back to class. Major, major oversight for the spiritual heavies.. sarc/
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HAPe4me
I do remember seeing that film, maybe at AC72 at HQ? Not sure really.
But when you mentioned the furniture from the PFAL filming was returned, I had to laugh. I remember the Branch I ran had finally gotten a video class together around 1974. The problem was all I had was a 15 inch black and white TV. The limb's unit was already in use up in the big city or something. I was told to go buy a TV, use it and then return it. I felt slimy when I took it back. They charged a 20% restock fee, which I took out of the ABS from the class. I don't think God ever was bothered by the loss of the ABS. He likely was none too pleased about the theft from the TV store though.
We did get to watch the Superbowl that year in style however.
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OldSkool
Ha!! Another thing is the building faces to the north where there is nothing but a circle drive that cuts through the woods. To the west entrance is an overflow pond, pump house, and a couple transformers. MAJOR oversight. Of course I have heard that the PWA faces north so VPW would face north when he taught; as if that was some reverential thing for his holy piousness to do. Can someone verify the facing north thing? or is it just a screw up with a convenient cover story?
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skyrider
OldSkool.....I don't think I've ever heard about the "facing north thing".....but always thought the main entrance, with circle drive, should have faced west. Just seems like as cars and people approached it, the major entrance should face westward. And, besides....then the smokers could stand out on the steps in the sunshine (or is there a non-smoking ban in effect now?).
Some poster a couple of years ago mentioned the leaking windows and the cleaning maintenance. From what I remember, he thought the angular windows and all were poorly designed.
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OldSkool
Well, I will chalk it up to design flaw for now. Who ever heard of the front of a building facing nothing. Technically it should face west for curb appeal.
Leaking windows - Yep! Leaking roof from time to time as well. Also, a lot of deferred maintenance just like the rest of that place.
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waysider
The whole danged thing was based on an illusion. An exercise in willful deception.
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Twinky
As to the borrowed desk and other props, I don't see a problem with that. Anyone filming borrows all the time to get the effect they want for the presentation. Or hiring the Big Top for RoA. Or hiring any other equipment.
However, if the stuff was borrowed "on approval" for a short period and then returned as unwanted - that's a different thing. That's like hiring props without paying the hire fee.
Like Hap says, "slimy." Not quite right. Not quite the fine Christian example that should be set.
What's the problem with prefabricated houses? Such have been around since time immemorial. Pre-fab houses (constructed off site and reassembled on-site) have been around in the UK since ... 100s? 1200s? Standard mode of construction in the 1500s, and some of those buildings are still in use!
Somehow I doubt the pre-fabs at HQ will have been built to last that long ... <_<
The grounds (and the interiors of the buildings) were kept immaculate when I was there. Over-clean, really. That's cut down a lot since practically everyone has left and there aren't enough bods to do all the necessary jobs, never mind the unnecessary ones.
Great expression in the UK, especially in the north: "Fur coat and no knickers."
All for show, and nothing of substance when it comes to it.
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JavaJane
The housekeeping at HQ actually found out that some furniture had been damaged due to over polishing it... Geez. What a metaphor for the way twi treated people - reproof reproof correction confrontation (polishing) until they were damaged.
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Ham
or until, they couldn't stand, or even care about their religion..
"don't care" works on a few levels, but maybe not on all..
I like listening to old sixties stuff..
Sunday will never be the same, on so many different levels..
Just have to listen to my *elders* so to speak..
most of them were born about 14 years before me. *almost* old enough to be my mother..
I've listened to Joan. a couple of Joans, anyway..
now I can't remember the words. Oh yes. Sunday will never be the same..
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Ham
You know.. McFarlane had more of a vocal range than Grace Slick. At least from what an Amateur musician could observe..
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Ham
What "blows my mind".. is the JOY this person seemed to have.
I hope she still has it..
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Ham
what is technically wrong with a lazy day..
just a thought. Cheap, on this shoe, and not on another..
sorry. Too many questions here..
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Ham
She was a good acid head. Takes one to know one, you know..
I wish I took the long, strange trek to California, a few years ago..
Weird. One makes the trip once..
it ruins everything, doesn't it?
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Ham
Sowy, weird s*it here.
where do we go from here.. I've been asking that question long over a decade here..
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WordWolf
According to the Bible, it may be considered MANDATORY to have one "lazy day"
out of every 7, which may be the point of the Sabbath.
Bullinger claimed (in "Number in Scripture") that the human body is designed to
operate slightly speeding up for 6 days and slowing considerably the 7th,
thus it operates in a 7-day cycle.
I don't know if there's any truth to EWB's claim at all. I certainly have no evidence
SUPPORTING it.
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socks
Good point WW. :)
That old promo film had Walter Cummins, "college student".
Little known fact :
In 1972/73, there were no trailers in the back of the property, those were added to house the incoming 4th corps.
Now the little known part -
In '73 all the incoming comers for the 4th Corps got letters from Howard Allen letting them know that they would need to
Bring their own trailers.
I know - I got a letter and we got in touch with another couple doing pricing, etc. and trying to figure out what we'd need to have, to do, to know.
About a month later we got another letter saying the housing would be set up.
In the interim I called Howard and also spoke to Gene Randall there and gathered the spec's on what we'd need to do - like would there be pads (concrete), or was a 5th wheel preferable (and it wasn't clear but the 5th wheel set up was looking like the best route as I recall). I'd worked for a couple months in a mobile home factory, doing wiring, so I actually had some resources for information. And yes, I was thinking that if it wasn't going to be ready we'd just wait a year or till whenever it was.
Wierwille was always in a hurry. Emporia, same thing.
The original set of trailers were left on flat bed through the first winter with temporary wiring for heat and lights, and no water. Showers etc were in the EOB as it was called then. Early spring they started the installs.
It was an adventure at the time, but the pattern of the Way Nash at that time was that it was often short on money, then as time went on and money came in it was a matter of how to spend it.
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Rejoice
When I was in the Corps, Mrs W taught us women, "When your husband is blessed...you will be blessed. You should actively work to see to that."
Knowing what I know today, she flat out LIED to us. there is no way she was blessed by his treatment of her. Shopping trips and hair dresser excursions can only go so far to distract a person.
I know a lot of people sympathize with her, but keep in mind she actively planted those ideas in the minds of innocent women.
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OldSkool
Oh, as far as I'm concerned she is complicit in his shenanigans the same way the get away driver is complicit in a bank robbery.
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Twinky
I just biffed about 4 copies of "Christian Etiquette." And "The Art of Followship" (Donna M - how to follow one's husband) . And a whole series on a wife being a crown to her husband, an adornment to him...not really about the wife herself, though I only glanced at them.
It was a different era, but if Dotty'd stood up to VPW a bit more, all our lives would have been different. Either no Way ministry at all, or one of a proper decent flavor.
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