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

After a couple of minutes, it lifted off heading for an immense plume of smoke billowing above the civic center.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2024

“There are also opportunities to connect down to the arts district, the civic center, and Little Tokyo on the east-west streets,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2024

Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose daughter Lexi was among the children killed, slammed a podium in the civic center and in between tears demanded that Prado return to the meeting.

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2024

Actually, he flew exactly like the star of a touring production of Peter Pan that Kyle had seen at the civic center.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein