Judge Requires 30-Day Notice Before Any Demolition of Kennedy Center
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A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to give at least 30 days’ notice before any demolition of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, amid disputes over its closure and proposed renaming.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper issued an order requiring the administration to provide a minimum of 30 days’ notice before taking any steps toward demolishing the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The ruling follows a filing by Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, who cited President Donald Trump’s remarks that the venue could be "ripped down" and sought clarification on whether the center could be closed or demolished.
Trump, speaking to reporters in Charlotte, North Carolina, said his administration deserved recognition for renovation efforts and warned that without such action the center would close and potentially be torn down. The Kennedy Center, a congressional-established memorial opened in 1971, was temporarily shut after an inspection revealed structural concerns, including a partial ceiling collapse and roof terrace canopy issues. Executive director Matt Floca said the seven-day closure was to assess acute public-safety risks and was separate from a planned two-year, $257 million renovation.
Beatty, an ex-officio board member, argued that the temporary shutdown could become a permanent closure, violating prior court orders. Her lawyers also submitted an AFP photograph of Trump on Air Force One appearing to view a placard that read “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED,” though the image did not conclusively show demolition plans.
Cooper declined an emergency hearing but reaffirmed the 30-day notice requirement. He previously ruled that the center cannot add Trump’s name to its exterior without congressional approval; a prior attempt to rename the venue was blocked, and the name added by the board earlier this year was removed in June.
Trump has maintained that the center is in poor condition, citing falling steel and plaster, and argued that substantial federal funding is needed to keep it operational. Beatty described the venue as a "sacred, living memorial" and pledged to continue efforts to prevent its shutdown. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would work to stop what he called a vanity project that wastes taxpayer resources. Barbra Streisand, a 2008 Kennedy Center honoree, called the controversy over the center’s closure "galling and painful to witness."