March 19. On this date in 1856, Jean-Baptiste Louis Bourgeois was born in St. Célestin de Nicolet, Quebec. He was a Canadian architect and designer of the House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.

 

March 19. On this date in 1856, Jean-Baptiste Louis Bourgeois was born in St. Célestin de Nicolet, Quebec. He was a Canadian architect and designer of the House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.

Louis Bourgeois, in his youth, worked as a clerk in a church contractor's office Trois-Rivières, Quebec, and through this experience planned the construction of the Church of Saint-Wenceslas in 1892. He then married Marie Gronville, who died young after having three children. His wife's medical bills caused him to go into debt, and thus he moved to Montreal to work as an apprentice sculptor in Napoléon Bourassa's business. Mr. Bourassa sent Louis Bourgeois to Paris, France to study, but during his time in Paris, Mr. Bougeois left his studies and traveled to other countries including Italy, Greece, Egypt and Iran.

He returned to North America in 1886, moving to Chicago, where he worked with Louis Sullivan. He then moved to California where he taught French to painter Paul de Longpré's daughters. He would then marry one of de Longpré daughters, Alice.

In the winter of 1906 to 1907, while he was in New York City, Louis Bourgeois became a Bahá’í after he learned about the teaching on the unity of religions. He then moved to Teaneck, New Jersey to expand the Bahá’í community there.

In 1920 Louis Bourgeois' design for the House of Worship in the United States was chosen by the delegates to the National Convention. During the next decade he spent much time constructing and financing the structure, despite bouts of ill health.

He died on August 20, 1930, at the age of 74, after a month of bad health.

The Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois was opened in 1953.