Porte-cochère

a covered entryway at the entrance of a stone building

An ornate 19th-century porte-cochère, at Waddesdon Manor

a parking lot and driveway with covered entry area outside a modern-style building

A modern example at a hospital

A porte-cochère (/ˌpɔːrt koʊˈʃɛr/; French: [pɔʁt.kɔ.ʃɛʁ]; lit. 'coach gateway'; pl. porte-cochères – pl. portes-cochères) is a doorway to a building or courtyard, "often very grand," through which vehicles can enter from the street or a covered porch-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which originally a horse and carriage 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 columned porch or entry for human, rather than vehicular, traffic.

History

The porte-cochère was a feature of many late 18th- and 19th-century mansions and public buildings. A well-known example is at Buckingham Palace in London. A portico at the White House 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 carports in that the vehicles pass through for passengers to board or exit rather than being parked beneath the covered area.

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

Gallery

• large entryway in building exterior
  The Hôtel Hesselin in Paris (built 1642)
• mansion with covered entry area
  The Lockwood–Mathews Mansion (built 1864)
• large rustic-style lodge
  The Briarcliff Lodge (built 1902)
• old black-and-white photo of small building with horse and carriage drawn up
  The Briarcliff Manor railroad station (built 1906)
• covered vehicle entry outside stone building
  A typical railway porte-cochère at Nottingham station
• entryway outside building
  Porte-cochère at Burleigh-Davidson Building, Berwick Academy, South Berwick, Maine
• close-up photo of a stone affixed at ground level to building column
  Guard stone beneath porte-cochère at the Burleigh-Davidson building, the Berwick Academy, South Berwick, Maine
• black-and-white photo of people standing outside building with covered entryway
  Porte-cochère at Central railway station, Sydney, 1924

See also

• Glossary of architecture