Word of the day: peristylium

The word of the day is peristylium:

1. a colonnade surrounding a building or an open space.
2. an open space, as a courtyard, surrounded by a colonnade. (<a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/peristyle">dictionary.com</a>)

"Many thousands were expected to ride streetcar to New Orleans's giant public playground, City Park.  Sport exhibitions, musical performances, vaudeville acts, and movies packed the schedule.  In the evening, festivalgoers would be invited within the Ionic columns of an open-air peristylium and dance for hours to the beat of the Hotsy Totsy Jazz Band."

 - Sheri Fink, Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital (2013)