Baha'i Temple, Ingleside: One of Beaches’ most beautiful buildings set for $1m makeover

It’s considered one of Sydney’s most beautiful — and highest — places of worship and it’s set for a $1 million makeover.

The Baha'i Temple, on Mona Vale Rd at Ingleside, has applied to demolish some minor outdoor structures and update or replace some of the stairs, ramps, landings and paving around the 63-year-old structure. Picture Brent McGilvary.

One of the most distinctive, prominent, recognisable — and beautiful — buildings on the northern beaches is set for a million dollar makeover.

The elegant Baha’i Temple on busy Mona Vale Rd at Ingleside wants to update its landscaped gardens as well as replace some of the stairs, ramps, landings and paving around the 63-year-old structure

With its impressive 40m-high white-domed roof, the nine-sided temple is 178m above sea level and is an officially recognised trigonometric “trig” point used by surveyors. The roof, and its pointed lantern, is also used as a landmark by shipping.

The Baha'i Temple at Ingleside is located on one of the highest points on the northern beaches. (AAP IMAGE / Troy Snook)

The temple at Ingleside, one of only eight in the world, was designed by renowned Sydney architect John Brogan. Its spectacular shiny colour comes from its white quartz aggregate facing on the exterior walls, set in a special white cement.

Set in 14 hectares, the temple and its manicured gardens are open to the public seven days a week.

According to the Baha’i Faith, the building, designed to hold 600 worshippers, has nine sides and nine entrances to represent the unity of humanity under one God.

An artist's diagram showing proposed new landscaping, alterations and additions to the outside of the Baha'i Temple at Ingleside.

The Baha’i Faith originated in Iran, but its founder, Baha’u’llah, who was born in Tehran in 1817 was exiled in 1868 to Acre, near Haifa, now in Israel.

Central to the Baha’i Faith are three core principles – the unity of God, the unity of religion and the unity of ­humanity. Its followers say that eliminating prejudice is at the centre of the faith’s teachings because all people are said to be created equal.

An artist's diagram showing proposed new landscaping, alterations and additions to the outside of the Baha'i Temple at Ingleside.

An artist's diagram, showing proposed new landscaping, alterations and additions to the outside of the Baha'i Temple at Ingleside.

And while the Baha’i Faith has its own scriptures, it also draws on the Bible, the Koran, the Torah and the Bhagavad Gita. There are about 17,000 adherents across Australia with about 45 per cent of Iranian origin.

Services are held every Sunday at 11am.

The grounds around the Baha'i Temple would be improved if the DA was approved. Picture: Virginia Young

The development application to Northern Beaches Council is now being examined by the independent Northern Beaches Local Planning Panel because the site was a locally listed heritage item and minor demolition works were proposed as part of the work.

Planning documents lodged with the DA showed that the proposed work would cost more than $960,000.

The Baha'i Temple is open to the public. Picture: Virginia Young

It included the demolition of existing steps and landings around the temple, which opened its doors in 1961, as well as the construction of new landings, stairs and access ramps.

Some remedial building work would be carried out including waterproofing the Temple’s basement walls, and stormwater drainage.

Landscaping work including formal landscaped gardens around he building and new planter boxes, seating areas, water features, ponds, circulation paths and external lighting.