Source: Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/features/religion/la-me-relbahai13sep13,1,504976.story?coll=la-news-religion
On September 13, 2003 the Los Angeles Times reported that "about a quarter-million people visit North America's only Baha'i temple each year. 'The temple is absolutely a magnet,' said Arlene Jennrich, a Wilmette resident since 1954 and a Baha'i for more than 40 years. The visitors include some of the more than 5 million Baha'is based in 236 countries and territories worldwide. They are often joined by hordes of tourists who pour out of buses or drop in while driving by, attracted by the sparkling temple that rises more than 160 feet above the shores of Lake Michigan, north of Chicago. The temple, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is one of only seven Baha'i houses of worship in the world. Lush gardens, a domed space and a nine-sided design are a part of every such temple."