The East Wing may not have been that old or even that architecturally significant (though noted critic Montgomery Schuyler dedicated nearly 5,000 words in RECORD’s April 1903 issue to McKim, Mead & White’s expansion and renovation of the White House, which included an early iteration of the East Wing). Regardless, it was a building that had meaning beyond its stone and bricks.

This issue includes a building type—dedicated to spirituality—that similarly holds deep meaning for many people. But it is one we don’t often feature, since there’s generally not much demand for this kind of space. In fact, many existing places of worship are themselves facing demolition because of rapidly declining congregations. This is especially true in Germany, where 80 percent of the Ruhrgebiet region’s parish churches will have been abandoned between 2005 and 2030. As contributing editor Andrew Ayers reports, the 16th edition of the nomadic art biennial Manifesta, has selected 12 deconsecrated churches in Ruhrgebiet for its main exhibition spaces next summer.

Nevertheless, pockets of building activity for religious spaces big and small can be found in all parts of the globe. On October 30, the Sagrada Família in Barcelona—Antoni Gaudí’s famously unfinished cathedral that has been under construction for more than 140 years—became the tallest church in the world when a cross was added to the top of its central tower. Moreover, we were pleasantly surprised to find a healthy cluster of new well-designed religious buildings to present in our pages. Among them is Houston’s Ismaili Center. Designed by Farshid Moussavi and opened last month, it is featured on the cover. Like other examples of the building type in this issue, the Ismaili Center is more than just a place of faith, it is one of community—maintaining a significant purpose of these buildings throughout history. Referring to the rapidly disappearing churches in Germany, art historian Barbara Welzel asserts, “We need these [precious public] spaces for democracy.” Now more than ever.