House of Worship Home Page

There are currently seven Baha'i Houses of Worship in the world. Each temple has its own distinctive design, and yet conforms to a set of architectural requirements that give a unifying theme. All Baha'i Houses of Worship are circular, have nine sides and are surrounded by gardens with walkways.

Construction of the Baha'i House of Worship for the North American Continent in Wilmette, Ill. was completed in 1953. On the lower level of the House of Worship is Foundation Hall (the oldest part of the temple) and the Cornerstone Room, which contains the cornerstone laid by Abdu'l-Baha in 1912. The auditorium features walls of lace-like ornamentation and a dome rising 135 feet above the main floor.

Groundbreaking for the House of Worship, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, occurred on May 1, 1912, in a ceremony blessed with the presence and participation of Abdu'l-Baha, son of the Founder of the Baha'i Faith. Construction began in earnest in 1920, and the temple was formally dedicated on May 1, 1953.

View a visual history of the House of Worship, created in 2003 for the 50th anniversary of the temple's dedication. Visit the Baha'i International Community website to view photos of the House of Worship. View a 360-degree virtual tour of the Temple.

Related Items:

How the House of Worship in Wilmette came to be

Louis Bourgeois: Architect of the House of  Worship

Abdu'l-Baha and the House of Worship

"John Earley and the Baha'i Temple," published in Structure Magazine, July 2006

May 24, 1943 TIME magazine, "Nine-Sided Nonesuch," published shortly after the completion of the external ornamentation of the temple in January 1943

Baha'i Encyclopedia Project article on Baha'i temples, also known as a "Mashriqu'l-Adhkar," which in Arabic means "Dawning Place of the Praise of God".