Trump Admin Warns Kennedy Center Could Be Demolished—Legal Battle Timeline
The DOJ warns the Kennedy Center could face demolition if the Trump administration’s renovation plans are blocked.
On Monday, Department of Justice lawyers warned that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which opened in 1971, could be demolished and replaced if it fails to undergo the extensive renovations requested by President Donald Trump. Attorney Brantley T. Mayers described the center as "dangerously dilapidated, outdated, and decrepit," arguing that it would continue to deteriorate without the renovations.
The center's ex officio member, U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty, has challenged the administration's plans to rename the center and close it for renovations, arguing that the board cannot legally do so without congressional approval. Beatty requested a federal court to block the center from restoring Trump's name to the facade and naming its grounds "President Donald J. Trump Plaza."
Mayers claimed that without the renovations, donors would flee, financial contributions would dry up, and the center would need to be demolished. He also proposed a large outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River as a potential replacement, though he argued that it would fail to honor President John F. Kennedy. Beatty's lawyers pressed for an earlier ruling, arguing that the defendants will attempt to implement some or part of the latest unlawful resolution after September 8.
Lawyers for the center wouldn't commit to removing the scaffolding where Trump's name once stood, citing ongoing structural repairs.
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