A porte-cochère (; , late 17th century, literally 'coach gateway'; plural: porte-cochères, portes-cochères) is a doorway to a building or

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

, "often very grand," through which vehicles can enter from the street or a covered

porch A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...

-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which originally a horse and

carriage A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping ...

and today a motor vehicle can pass to provide arriving and departing occupants protection from the elements. Portes-cochères are still found on such structures as major public buildings and hotels, providing covered access for visitors and guests arriving by motorized transport. A porte-cochère, a structure for vehicle passage, is to be distinguished from a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cul ...

, a columned porch or entry for human, rather than vehicular, traffic.

History

The porte-cochère was a feature of many late 18th- and 19th-century

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

s and public buildings. A well-known example is at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. A

at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

in Washington, D.C. is often confused with a porte-cochère, where a raised vehicle ramp gives an architectural portico the functionality of the latter. Today portes-cochères are found at both elaborate private homes and such public buildings as churches, hotels, health facilities, and schools. Portes-cochère differ from

carport A carport is a covered structure used to offer limited protection to vehicles, primarily cars, from rain and snow. The structure can either be free standing or attached to a wall. Unlike most structures, a carport does not have four walls, and us ...

s in that the vehicles pass through for passengers to board or exit rather than being parked beneath the covered area.

Guard stone A guard stone, jostle stone or ''chasse-roue'' ( French lit. "wheel chaser"), is a projecting metal, concrete, or stone exterior architectural element located at the corner and/or foot of gates, portes-cochères, garage entries, and walls to p ...

s are often found at the foot of portes-cochère, acting as protective bollards to prevent vehicles from damaging the structure.

Gallery

Hôtel d'Ambrun - Façade sur rue, Porte - Paris 04 - Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine - APMH00004645.jpg, The

Hôtel Hesselin The Hôtel Hesselin, later known as the Hôtel d'Ambrun, was a Parisian town house (''hôtel particulier''), erected around 1639 to 1642 for Louis Hesselin to the designs of the French architect Louis Le Vau.Cojannot 2012, p. 103. It was located ...

in Paris (built 1642) NorwalkCTLockwoodMansEastSide09032007.JPG, The

Lockwood–Mathews Mansion The Lockwood–Mathews Mansion is a Second Empire style country house in Norwalk, Connecticut. Now a museum, it was built in 1864-68 for railroad and banking magnate LeGrand Lockwood. The 62-room mansion was listed on the National Register o ...

(built 1864) BriarcliffOutlook3.jpg, The

Briarcliff Lodge The Briarcliff Lodge was a luxury resort in the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York. It was a notable example of Tudor Revival architecture, and was one of the largest wooden structures in the United States. It was also the first hotel in Westc ...

(built 1902) BriarcliffOutlook4.jpg, The Briarcliff Manor railroad station (built 1906) Nottingham Railway Station - geograph.org.uk - 1475112.jpg, A typical railway porte-cochère at

Nottingham station Nottingham station, briefly known as Nottingham City and for rather longer as Nottingham Midland, is a railway station and tram stop in the city of Nottingham. It is the principal railway station of Nottingham. It is also a nodal point on th ...

Porte-cochere_at_Burleigh-Davidson_Building,_Berwick_Academy,_South_Berwick,_Maine.jpg, Porte-cochère at Burleigh-Davidson Building, Berwick Academy,

South Berwick, Maine South Berwick is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,467 at the 2020 census. South Berwick is home to Berwick Academy, a private, co-educational university-preparatory day school founded in 1791. The town was s ...

Guard stone at Berwick Academy.jpg,

beneath ''porte-cochère'' at the Burleigh-Davidson building, the Berwick Academy, South Berwick, Maine Central Station, 1924 (4010230424).jpg, Porte-cochère at

Central railway station, Sydney Central is a heritage-listed railway station located in the centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The station is the largest and busiest railway station in Australia and serves as a major transport interchange for NSW TrainLink inter ...

, 1924

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porte-Cochere Architectural elements

History

Gallery

See also

References