The Best Rec Centers of the Recent Past

Taking on a larger range of community services outside their traditional role as host to athletic endeavors, "the following ten facilities (listed alphabetically) exemplify the hybrid nature of recreation centers, building on the synergy of shared uses and providing daylit, flexible communal spaces to tempt people away from their electronics and help them connect in the real world."

Nyren spotlights a selection of innovative multi-purpose buildings from across the country such as the Deanwood Community Center and Public Library in Washington D.C., which includes a library, a seniors center, a gymnasium, multipurpose rooms, a recreational pool, an early childhood and education center, and a recording studio, all oriented around a "main street" that "provides places for informal, intergenerational interaction."