A beautiful garden with fountains at Baha'i temple place of worship in Wilmette Illinois USA

in garden •  last year 

The Bahá'í House of Worship (or Bahá'í Temple) is a temple in Wilmette, Illinois. One of ten dedicated temples of the Bahá'í Faith, it is the oldest surviving Bahá'í House of Worship in the world.

The House of Worship is a domed structure surrounded by gardens and fountains on a 6.97 (2.82 ha) acre plot of land. The space between the floor of the auditorium and the ceiling of the dome measures 138 feet (42 m) high, and the interior of the dome is 72 feet (22 m) in diameter. The auditorium seats 1,191 people.

By 1922, the first part of the building, the Foundation Hall, was mostly finished, and Bahá'ís began using it as a meeting place. The temple was finally dedicated on May 2, 1953. Over 3,500 people attended the services, including 91-year-old Corinne True. Ruhiyyih Khanum, the wife of Shoghi Effendi (head of the religion after the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá), read a prayer at the dedication.

In celebration of the 2018 Illinois Bicentennial, the Baha’i House of Worship was selected as one of the Illinois 200 Great Places by the American Institute of Architects Illinois component (AIA Illinois) and was recognized by USA Today Travel magazine, as one of AIA Illinois' selections for Illinois 25 Must See Places.

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