The Kennedy Center board voted on August 13 to close its main building for a two-year, $250 million renovation and restore President Donald Trump’s name to the facade. The decisions tee up a fresh legal clash with federal courts that previously blocked similar attempts.
Board Votes to Close Main Building and Restore Trump’s Name
The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., voted on August 13 to move forward with a controversial plan to shutter the institution’s main facility. The virtual Zoom meeting yielded a 20-to-3 vote in favor of a sweeping overhaul, according to the person who attended the meeting and a second person familiar with the proceedings.
Under the approved plan, the main campus will close for roughly two years for structural repairs, new marble flooring, and nearly $12 million in acoustical improvements. The project carries an estimated price tag of $250 million, with the main building projected to reopen in the summer of 2028. To keep some operations alive, the board voted to keep a smaller campus addition known as the Reach open for limited programming and public access. Management had presented the board with three potential options ahead of the vote, ranging from a complete closure to phased minor repairs, before settling on the partial shuttering.
Shortly after the closure vote, the board approved an inscription to be placed beneath the institution’s name on the building’s exterior. Proposed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the new signage will read, Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump. The board also voted to rename the physical location “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.” Donald Trump, who appointed himself board chairman last year, dialed into the virtual meeting for several minutes.
Congressional Pushback and Looming Federal Court Battles
The August 13 votes immediately drew sharp condemnation from congressional ex-officio trustees who opposed the measures. The three dissenting votes on the board came from Democratic lawmakers: Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, and Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington.
Photo: The Guardian
“This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the Court’s ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed. I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument.”
Photo: kmph.com
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, via NBC News
The new votes arrive directly in the shadow of previous federal rulings. In May, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked an earlier board-approved closure plan. Cooper found that board members lacked sufficient information before voting and characterized the decision as ill-informed and seemingly preordained. Separate rulings from Cooper also mandated the removal of Trump’s name from the building, determining that adding it violated the federal statute establishing the center as a memorial to the late president.
While the center removed the name in June following the judge’s order, it has actively appealed that decision. The board’s latest actions will now return to Cooper for review. The Kennedy Center faces a deadline next week to submit its plans to the federal court, where judges will evaluate whether leadership performed adequate due diligence before approving the closure and renaming.
Uncertain Future for the National Symphony Orchestra and Staff
Since Trump’s name was initially attached to the building in December 2025, numerous prominent artists canceled appearances, the Washington National Opera departed, ticket sales plunged, and numerous staff and administrators left their posts.
Trump Kennedy Center to shut down for 2 year renovation plan, board votes
The impending closure of the main Concert Hall creates an acute crisis for the National Symphony Orchestra, which has served as the Kennedy Center’s chief tenant since the facility opened in the early 1970s. With the primary hall unavailable during the two-year renovation, a search for alternative local venues is underway for Music Director and Principal Conductor Giancarlo Noseda’s ensemble.
Legal fallout is mounting outside the federal courtroom as well. A D.C. Superior Court judge recently ordered the Kennedy Center to pay jazz musician Chuck Redd more than $252,000 in legal fees. The institution had sued Redd after he canceled a long-running Christmas Eve performance in the wake of the Trump name change. The Kennedy Center plans to appeal that financial penalty as it prepares for its upcoming legal test before Judge Cooper.
Trump's name remains on Kennedy Center as Board appeals to judge over removal | Sunrise
