Kennedy Center Board Votes To Close The Performing Arts Venue For Renovations As Donald Trump Says Work Hinges On An Appeal Over Adding His Name To The Building
The Kennedy Center will close for major renovations after its board voted Tuesday to shut down most of the landmark performing arts venue, hours after a federal judge again blocked President Donald Trump’s name from being added to the building.
The Trump-aligned board approved the closure as the Kennedy Center faces financial problems and mounting concerns about the condition of the aging structure. Congress has allocated $257 million toward renovations.
Trump said the closure was necessary for safety repairs but tied the renovation project to the continuing legal fight over whether his name can appear on the Kennedy Center.
The Justice Department has appealed the ruling.
Judge Says Congress Must Approve Trump Recognition
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled Tuesday that the Kennedy Center cannot place Trump’s name on the building, surrounding grounds or public spaces without congressional approval.
“Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing,” Cooper wrote.
The ruling follows Cooper’s May decision finding that the Kennedy Center board exceeded its authority when it previously added Trump’s name to the institution. The lettering was removed from the facade in June.
The Observer previously reported that the Kennedy Center had agreed not to restore Trump’s name before Sept. 8 as Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, continued challenging the board’s actions in court.
In August, the board again voted to recognize Trump, approving language that would have identified the venue as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.”
The board also approved renaming the plaza outside the Kennedy Center for Trump. A separate inscription would have been added if the Trump Kennedy Center Fund reached $100 million.
Trump Says Renovations Depend On Court Fight
Trump, who serves as chairman of the Kennedy Center board, said Tuesday that the building would close immediately but that reconstruction and renovation would not begin until the appeals court rules on the naming dispute.
He said that if the appeals court ruling goes against the board and the decision is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the renovation would not move forward.
The dispute spilled into Tuesday’s virtual board meeting, where Trump and Beatty exchanged criticism. Beatty has been one of the most vocal opponents of attempts to place Trump’s name on the center.
The closure also comes amid longstanding concerns about the building itself. Construction on the Kennedy Center began in 1965, and officials have argued that extensive repairs are needed. A partial ceiling collapse in a main hallway earlier this month intensified concerns about the facility’s condition.
Demolition Concerns Remain
The continuing dispute has also raised questions about what could happen if renovation plans collapse.
In a court filing last month, administration lawyers argued that without recognition for Trump, the Kennedy Center could struggle to raise enough private money to complete renovations.
They warned that the building could deteriorate to the point where demolition becomes necessary. One possibility raised in the filing was eventually replacing the building with an outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River.
The Kennedy Center has served for decades as both a memorial to President John F. Kennedy and one of the country’s best-known performing arts institutions.
Its immediate future now depends on two parallel issues: completing repairs to the aging building and resolving the continuing court fight over whether the Kennedy Center board has the authority to memorialize Trump without an act of Congress.
