A concourse is a place where
pathways or
roads meet, such as in a
hotel, a
convention center
A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
, a
railway station, an
airport terminal, a
hall
In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...
, or other space.
The term is not limited to places where there are literally pathways or roadways or train tracks joining. An alternate meaning now is "an open space or hall (as in a railway terminal) where crowds gather."
In this meaning as a place where crowds gather, while many persons in any crowd no doubt have followed different paths in their lives to get to the place, there need not be notable specific roadways leading to the place.
Examples
Examples of concourses include:
* Meeting halls
*
Universities
*
Railway stations
*
Conference centres
*
Hotels
*
Airport terminals
*
Shopping malls or portions of shopping malls which are often called "shopping concourses"
* Sports
arenas and
stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
s
Gallery
Outdoor concourses
Image:Earnley concourse West Sussex.jpg, Earnley Concourse, West Sussex, 2009[This local village name for its common land may imply an early usage of the word, ''concourse''.]
Image:ASDA concourse Llandudno.jpg, Asda supermarket concourse, Llandudno
Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2011 UK census, the community – which includes Gogarth, Penrhyn Bay, Craigsi ...
, 2007
Image:City Hall concourse by Rob Farrow.jpg, Concourse outside City Hall, London.
Image:Wembley Arena concourse by Chris Downer.jpg, Concourse outside Wembley Arena, 2008
Public transport concourses
File:Moynihan Train Hall.jpg, The interior of the Moynihan Train Hall at the Pennsylvania Station in New York City, opening day in 2021
File:GCT in Blizzard of 2015.jpg, Grand Central Terminal's Main Concourse, Manhattan, 2015
File:Leeds bus station concourse.jpg, Leeds City bus station concourse, 2007
File:Leeds City railway station concourse.jpg, Leeds railway station concourse, 2009
File:Liverpool Street concourse by Thos Nugent.jpg, Liverpool Street concourse, 2009
File:Paddington Station The Lawn.jpg, London Paddington station concourse, ''The Lawn'', 2009
File:St Pancras shopping concourse.jpg, St Pancras shopping concourse during Christmas, 2011
File:St Pancras concourse by David Lally.jpg, St Pancras entrance concourse, 2009
File:Waterloo International Station concourse.jpg, Waterloo Station former Eurostar check-in concourse, 2009
File:Heathrow Airport Terminal 2, London, England - Diliff.jpg, Terminal 2 departures area of London Heathrow Airport
File:JFK Terminal 5 Ticketing and Check-In.jpg, Terminal 5 of the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City
Image:port-authority-bus.jpg, Gates 1-85 on the lower level of the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City
Car park concourses
Image:Braehead car park concourse.jpg, Braehead car park concourse in Scotland, 2008
Contemporary usage
More recently, "concourse" is often used to refer to a situation where people come together in
online presence, even if they do not physically come together in reality. An example of such an online community is the
IEEE Student Concourse, as well as various
online shopping concourses.
See also
*
Concourse Program at MIT
*
Concourse on High
A concourse is a place where pathways or roads meet, such as in a hotel, a convention center, a railway station, an airport terminal, a hall, or other space.
The term is not limited to places where there are literally pathways or roadways or ...
(Bahá'í Faith)
*
Concourse at Landmark Center
Built in phases between 1984 and 1991, the Concourse at Landmark Center is a real estate development in metro Atlanta's Perimeter Center business district, in the city of Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States. It is a 70 acre planned community ...
*
Grand Concourse (Bronx)
The Grand Concourse (also known as the Grand Boulevard and Concourse) is a thoroughfare in the borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx in New York City. Grand Concourse runs through several neighborhoods, including Bedford Park, Bronx, Be ...
References
External links
{{Wiktionary, concourse
IEEE Student Concourse
Footpaths
Railway stations