meeting house

Community worship building

A meeting house is a building for gatherings, especially religious worship.

The term is most associated with Quakers, whose plain, unadorned meeting houses reflect their rejection of elaborate church architecture.

In colonial New England, the meeting house served both civic and religious functions—a place for town meetings as well as Sunday services.

The old meeting house still stands on the village green.

architecture

hall

Interior connecting pathway

plain · unadorned · whitewashed · wooden · clapboard · gable · steeple · bell tower · vestry · anteroom

historic

colonial

Of occupied territories

landmark · heritage · preservation · restoration · register · pilgrims · settlement · architecture · shingle · clapboard

religious

Quaker

Society of Friends member

minister · parishioners · clergy · worship · prayer · hymnal · liturgy · sanctuary · chapel · pastor

gathering

assembly

Constructing from components

attendees · participants · seating · benches · hall · foyer · vestibule · threshold · doorway · entrance

civic

town hall

Local government headquarters

vote · ordinance · selectmen · zoning · public hearing · community forum · township · borough · citizens · residents

Categories
Opposites
architectural grandeur and religious hierarchy

meeting housecathedral

Bishop's principal church

basilica · St. Peter's Basilica · mega-church · Notre-Dame · abbey

communal gathering vs. solitary space

meeting househermitage

Secluded religious dwelling

private chapel · isolation cell · isolation chamber · cloister

sacred vs. secular purpose

meeting housenightclub

Evening entertainment venue

casino · marketplace · tavern · brothel · gambling den

Family

meetinghouse

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G