civic center

American  

noun

1. a building complex housing a theater or theaters for the performing arts and sometimes exhibition halls, a museum, etc., and usually constructed or maintained by municipal funds.

2. a building or building complex containing a municipality's administrative offices, various departmental headquarters, courts, etc., and sometimes an auditorium, libraries, or other community or cultural facilities.

3. a theater, meeting hall, or the like for community or public use.

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Etymology

Origin of civic center

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Stout met Kirk for the first time in 2014 when he was speaking to a group of young Texas conservatives huddled in a small room of a civic center in Harris County.

From Slate • Sep. 23, 2025

The news comes as Mayor Karen Bass’ 8 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew for the civic center area approaches its third night and arts organizations, restaurants and other businesses across the area report a drop in patrons.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2025

“A civic center is more than a collection of buildings,” Rosenfeld said.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 13, 2024

“Not that it is just a financial center and a civic center and an economic center, but it’s also a neighborhood.”

From Seattle Times • May 22, 2024

When the bond issue to renovate the dilapidated civic center failed not once but twice he could not help but wonder if there could ever be any real progress in a place like that.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger