The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted on Thursday to close the main performing arts venue for two years and to add President Donald Trump’s name to the building’s facade, according to statements from Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio board member, and multiple news outlets.
The board also approved renaming the plaza in front of the building ‘President Donald J. Trump Plaza’ and changing the formal name of the center to ‘The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.’ The vote followed a virtual meeting that lasted nearly two hours, with 20 trustees in favor and 3 opposed, including Beatty, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.).
The decisions come after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper issued a May ruling blocking the board’s prior attempt to close the center and remove Trump’s name from the building. Cooper called the earlier board vote to close the venue ‘ill-informed and seemingly preordained’ and ordered Trump’s name removed, citing federal law that requires the center to be a memorial to President John F. Kennedy.
Board Actions and Legal Context
The board’s latest vote authorizes a two-year closure of the main building, while keeping the smaller REACH wing open for limited events. The closure is framed as necessary for $250 million in renovations, including structural repairs, acoustical improvements, and new marble flooring. The National Symphony Orchestra, the center’s primary tenant, would temporarily relocate during the closure.
Trump, who appointed himself chairman of the board last year, participated in the meeting for several minutes, according to sources briefed on the proceedings. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick proposed the name change, which the board approved.
Opposition and Legal Challenges
Beatty and her legal team called the vote ‘a transparent effort to circumvent the Court’s ruling’ and ‘flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed.’ Her attorneys, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, stated in a release that the board’s actions ‘must answer for their actions—again—in court.’
The board’s decisions will now go back to Judge Cooper, who previously ruled that the board had ‘fallen grossly short of prudent decision-making’ in its March vote. While Cooper did not outright prohibit a closure, he required the board to provide a financial plan justifying the decision. The judge left open the possibility of reconsidering the closure if the board presented sufficient evidence.
Perspectives on the Renovation Plan
Proponents of the closure and renaming argue that the renovations are long overdue and that Trump’s financial and political backing is necessary to secure the center’s future. A White House spokesperson stated that ‘Under President Trump’s bold leadership, the Kennedy Center is on its way to becoming the finest cultural institution anywhere in the world.’
Critics, including Democratic lawmakers and preservationists, contend that the board’s actions violate the center’s original purpose as a memorial to Kennedy and represent an attempt to politicize a national cultural landmark. Beatty emphasized in her statement that she would ‘continue to fight for this treasured national monument.’
Next Steps
The Kennedy Center’s leadership must now submit its renovation plan and financial justification to Judge Cooper by next week. The judge will then determine whether the board’s actions comply with his prior rulings or require further legal review. The board’s meeting was held via Zoom and was not open to the public.