WASHINGTON — Trustees voted to shut the landmark for renovations hours after a federal judge again barred putting the president's name on the facade.
Board vote and court order
Hours after U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper blocked another attempt to place President Donald Trump’s name on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the center’s board voted to close the main building, citing financial strain and structural safety concerns tied to a planned multiyear renovation.
Cooper wrote that trustees cannot install memorials for Trump or rename the campus without Congress’s blessing, reinforcing earlier orders that kept the living memorial under statutory limits.
What Trump said
Trump said the board voted to close immediately for safety and reconstruction. He also warned that renovations could not begin until courts accept the board’s preferred naming language, and he threatened to halt the roughly $250 million overhaul if appeals fail.
Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio board member whose lawsuit has constrained the naming effort, has sought to keep the venue open while litigation continues. Whether the closure can take full effect depends on how the existing injunction is applied.
Why it matters
The Kennedy Center is a national cultural landmark on the Potomac. The fight mixes presidential branding, congressional control of a memorial, board governance, and the practical question of whether performances and public access continue during renovations.
Audiences, artists, and local businesses face uncertainty while lawyers test how far the board can go without new legislation from Congress.
View on X
Reporting compiled from official statements and contemporaneous news accounts. This article is for informational purposes and does not offer legal advice.
