The Kennedy Center Board has once again endorsed the renovation and the plaque bearing Trump's name
The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington has voted again to temporarily close the main building for a major renovation and to add a plaque bearing the name of U.S. President Donald Trump. This was reported by The Guardian, citing The New York Times, which was the first to publish the results of the vote.
According to the NYT, the Kennedy Center’s main building is scheduled to close, while the newer part of the complex, The Reach, will remain open for a limited program of events and will serve as a memorial to John F. Kennedy. Subsequently, the board reportedly also supported adding the inscription “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump” to the institution’s name.
The results of the vote were confirmed by board member Joyce Beatty, a Democratic congresswoman from Ohio, and legal experts. The Guardian reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment, but the institution’s response was not included in the article. The decisions must still be approved by a U.S. federal judge.
In May, District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Trump’s name must be removed from the building’s facade. He concluded that the addition of the name was unlawful, as only Congress has the authority to change the institution’s name. The Center removed the president’s name in June but is appealing the decision.
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Cooper also temporarily blocked a previous plan to close the arts center for two years for renovation work. The board unanimously approved this plan in March, and the renovation was scheduled to begin in July. Beatty challenged the decision in court. The judge noted that the board had not properly considered the potential consequences of the closure for the center’s programming and memorial functions.
Before the vote, Kennedy Center leadership presented three options: a complete closure, a partial closure with access maintained to areas not affected by the work, or phased, limited closures to address the most serious infrastructure issues. According to The New York Times, the $250 million renovation project includes repairs, new marble floors, acoustic improvements, and the temporary relocation of a 3,000-pound bronze bust of Kennedy.
The Kennedy Center is due to submit its plan to Judge Cooper by next week. He will assess whether the board conducted a sufficiently thorough review before the re-vote.
