Heritage USA

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For the American conservative think tank, see Heritage Foundation.
Heritage USA
Type Religious Theme Park & Christian Resort; Cable Television Network Broadcast & Production Facility
Founded 1978 (closed 1989), hotel & convention center reopened in 2004 as Heritage International Ministries
Headquarters Fort Mill, South Carolina
Key people Jim Bakker, Tammy Faye Bakker Messner
Industry Amusement park & hotel operator; Cable television network
Employees 2,500
Parent Heritage Village Church & Missionary Fellowship, Inc.

Heritage USA is the now defunct 2,300 acre (9 km²) Christian theme park/water park/residential complex built in Fort Mill, South Carolina, USACoordinates: 35°3′38.3″N 80°54′42.3″W / 35.060639°N 80.91175°W / 35.060639; -80.91175, by PTL Club founders televangelist Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Bakker Messner.

Contents

[edit] History

Heritage USA opened in 1978, and by 1986 was one of the top vacation destinations in the nation, behind only Walt Disney World and Disneyland, attracting nearly 6 million visitors annually and employing around 2,500 people. However, after Jim Bakker's legal and personal troubles made headlines starting in 1987, Heritage USA closed shortly after Hurricane Hugo caused severe damage to many of the buildings in September 1989.

The facilities included the 501-room Heritage Grand Hotel, Main Street USA - an indoor shopping complex, the Heritage Village Church, a 400-unit campground, The Jerusalem Amphitheater, conference facilities, prayer and counseling services, full cable TV network production studios, Bible and evangelism school, visitor retreat housing, staff and volunteer housing, timeshares and the Heritage Island waterpark and recreational facilities.

Much of the park was built by noted church builder Roe Messner who later married Tammy Faye Bakker after her divorce from Jim Bakker.

The September 21, 1987 issue of Time Magazine noted that Jerry Falwell "plunged" down a 163-foot (50 m) "hellish" water slide (with his suit on) in fulfillment to "a promise made during a fund-raising drive that netted $20 million for the debt-ridden PTL."[1] This drive eventually took The PTL Club (PTL stood for both "Praise The Lord" and "People That Love") and Heritage USA from Jim Bakker.[2] It is noted that "Bakker arranged for Falwell to take over PTL in March in an effort to avoid what he called a "hostile takeover" of the television ministry by people threatening to expose a sexual encounter he admitted to having seven years earlier with church secretary Jessica Hahn."[3]

Photos circulated of the Falwell Typhoon water slide at Heritage Island inside the Heritage theme park. Falwell remained fully clothed. It was selected as "The Best of Photojournalism" in 1987 Pictures of the Year book presented by the National Press Photographers Association. In September 1999, The Associated Press selected it as one of the top 100 national photos of the century.[4]

In the midst of Heritage USA's high point, when it earned $126 million a year, the IRS revoked its tax exemption. Soon after Bakker's federal indictment and public condemnation over his sexual affair, attendance dropped at Heritage. Falwell argued "PTL's Heritage USA complex in Fort Mill, S.C., was competing unfairly against tax-paying tourist attractions, and that the tax-exempt ministry should be separated from the running of hotels and amusement parks." Under Falwell's leadership, Heritage USA sought "Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with debts estimated at $72 million."[5]

The 165,000 people who gave $1,000 to Jim Bakker's planned Heritage USA hotel tower in return for promised four-day vacation stays received $6.54 each. Pictures of the park (including the water-park Heritage Island) remain accessible online, and over the years projects have been constructed on the vast lands of the former Christian-theme park.[6]

[edit] Redevelopment

In 1991, the Heritage USA property was purchased for $52 million by San Diego evangelist Morris Cerullo in partnership with a Malaysian investment group, MUI Group (Malayan United Industries Berhad). The property was renamed "New" Heritage USA. The partnership between Cerullo and MUI ended after a disagreement between Cerullo and MUI over Cerullo's issuance of discount cards to New Heritage USA. MUI filed suit against Cerullo and ultimately bought out his interest in the venture, renaming the property Regent Park. Cerullo retained control of PTL's cable network (which at the time was known as The Inspirational Network) ultimately moving it to Charlotte, North Carolina and renaming it INSP-The New Inspirational Network (today known simply as Inspiration or INSP). MUI is also the parent company of Laura Ashley USA which moved its headquarters and distribution center to the property. The corporate offices of Laura Ashley USA are located in the former PTL World Outreach Center, the pyramid shaped building which formerly housed Jim & Tammy Faye Bakker's offices as well as those of the leaders of the PTL ministry. Since being purchased by MUI, the building has been renamed "The Regent Building." MUI, through its local subsidiary, Regent Carolina Corporation, built a large golf course and residential development on the majority of the former Heritage USA property. They attempted for a short period of time in the 1990s to operate the 501-room hotel and resort under a management agreement with Radisson Hotels, calling the property the "Radisson Grand Resort" but the complex was not successful as a secular venture without its religious emphasis and ultimately closed and fell into disrepair.

In late 2006, the IRS placed a tax lien for $13.2 million on Regent Carolina Corporation, which had not yet transferred control of the golf course, common areas, and roads to the Regent Park homeowners association [1]. The golf course was subsequently sold to a new company named Southern Gailes [7].

In December 2004, the remainder of the Heritage USA property was sold to Coulston Enterprises, owned by local developer and former MUI executive Earl Coulston. Coulston Enterprises sold portions of the property formerly housing the PTL Ministry to MorningStar Ministries of Charlotte, North Carolina, headed by Rick Joyner, and Flames-of-Fire Ministries of Fort Mill, South Carolina, headed by Coulston's wife, Sabrina. MorningStar is in the process of ongoing renovations to the portions of the property purchased by the ministry. Coulston Enterprises has developed several new subdivisions featuring single family homes on the remainder of the property. The Coulston owned residential portion of the property is called Emerald Lakes.

The Heritage Grand Hotel has been completely restored and is now used as a retreat and conference center as well as a church for MorningStar's local congregation. The hotel complex has been renamed "H.I.M." for Heritage International Ministries. MorningStar intends that the unfinished 21-story Heritage Towers will be expanded and completed and used as an assisted living/retirement facility featuring studio apartments as well as residences of up to 2500 square feet in size, with an estimated completion date of 2011.[8] The renovation plans have been approved by York County, SC planners and restoration is underway. Heritage International had its Grand Opening in September, 2007, and its spiritual grand-opening January 1, 2008 [9].

The property encompassing the The Upper Room, The Jerusalem Amphitheater (a.k.a. King's Arena), and Campgrounds has been renamed Crown International by Flames-of-Fire Ministry, and is in various levels of restoration and operation. It has been reported that some of these properties may be demolished and replaced with residential and commercial ventures planned by Coulston Enterprises. The former Barn Auditorium, Total Learning Center, and PTL Television Network Studios were sold by Coulston Enterprises in April 2009 to Charlotte, NC based The Broadcast Group, a multimedia production and training company founded in 1986 by former PTL Television Network executive Dr. Dale Hill.

In January 2006 a 24-hour prayer ministry also began its endeavor at the former Heritage USA. The Zadok House of Prayer (ZHOP) formed with dozens of musicians and prayer leaders relocating from the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City. As of April 2009, ZHOP is in the processing of relocating from the grounds.

In January 2009 a group billing themselves Friends of The Upper Room created an online petition to Flames-of-Fire Ministry, owners of The Upper Room, asking them to consider donating the building to another ministry or selling it at a reduced price in order to save the property from rumored demolition plans. Initial indications from representatives of the property's owners in early 2008 were that the building may come down to make way for a Coulston Enterprises planned townhouse complex; however recent reports indicate that this project and others on the site may have been put on hold due to the sagging economy and that The Upper Room building and other surrounding properties may be for sale. [10] As of May 2009 over 300 persons have signed the petition.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "American Notes: Fund Raising". Time. September 21, 1987. http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,965543,00.html. Retrieved on 2007-01-04. 
  2. ^ http://www.scencyclopedia.com/ptlclub.htm
  3. ^ http://www.skepticfiles.org/cultinfo/taxscams.htm
  4. ^ http://aburriss.tripod.com/jfalwell.html
  5. ^ http://www.skepticfiles.org/cultinfo/taxscams.htm
  6. ^ http://illicitohio.com/SBNO/heritage/heritage01.html
  7. ^ http://www.fortmilltimes.com/local/story/6368315p-5681591c.html
  8. ^ http://www.heraldonline.com/109/story/113503.html
  9. ^ The Nehemiah Project
  10. ^ http://www.fortmilltimes.com/187/story/445500.html

[edit] External links

[edit] Current religious uses of the property

[edit] Current secular uses of the property

[edit] Miscellaneous

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PTL scandal
Leadership
PTL Ministry
The PTL Club · PTL Satellite Network · Heritage USA
History
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