Pilgrim House - Second Western Pilgrim House

Second Western Pilgrim House

The second Western Pilgrim House, often referred to as "the old western pilgrim house", located at 10 Haparsim Street in Haifa, Israel, was used a Pilgrim House for members of the Bahá'í Faith who had come for pilgrimage during the first half of the 20th century. It is currently part of the Bahá'í World Centre and used by the Bahá'í International Community Secretariat and related offices.

The house was originally paid for by Amelia Collins, a wealthy American Bahá'í, who felt the facilities of the previous Westerner's pilgrim house at 4 Haparsim were inadequate. Its construction was started under the instruction of `Abdu'l-Bahá, but was only completed during the time that Shoghi Effendi was the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith. Although it served originally as the Pilgrim house for the westerners, it has been used for other purposes more recently:

  • From 1951 to 1963 it housed the International Bahá'í Council
  • From 1963 to 1983 it served as the Seat of the Universal House of Justice
  • From 1983 to 2000 it was occupied by the International Teaching Centre

As of 2005, it is currently included in the pilgrimage run by the Bahá'í World Centre

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