For nearly 90 years, each issue of RECORD has been anchored by a building-type study. Some categories, K–12 schools or houses, for example, are well defined. Others, like recreation or arts & culture, are open to interpretation. But one building-type study—devoted to civic uses—more than any other elicits plenty of questions during the selection process—“Is a hockey arena really civic?”

Traditionally, civic projects in RECORD embraced everything from memorials and monuments to courthouses and city offices—and this issue has some of that. Also included were visitors centers, libraries, and observatories. You can see the challenge in shaping this roundup—it is difficult to compare architectural solutions within parameters this broad.