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WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of cultural and historic preservation organizations has filed a lawsuit seeking to halt any significant alterations to the Kennedy Center, as it faces a planned two-year closure. President Donald Trump has stated that this closure is essential for renovating the iconic performing arts venue.
The lawsuit, targeting Trump, the Kennedy Center, and other administration officials, acknowledges the necessity for routine upkeep and repairs. However, it contends that any major modifications, which Trump has alluded to, should undergo the standard review process required for significant projects within the nation’s capital.
President Trump has hinted that the proposed changes to the Kennedy Center might be so extensive that the steel structure supporting the building could become “fully exposed.”
The lawsuit claims that, “Demolition, new construction, major reconstruction, major renovation, or major aesthetic transformation of the Kennedy Center would permanently destroy historic fabric, degrade the monumental core’s vistas and public grounds, and compromise the Kennedy Center’s memorial purpose and architectural integrity, causing permanent, irreversible harm that no subsequent remedy can fully undo.”
White House spokesperson Liz Huston expressed that President Trump is dedicated to transforming the Trump-Kennedy Center into the world’s premier performing arts facility.
“We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue,” she said.
A representative for the Kennedy Center didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some of the lawyers involved in Monday’s lawsuit have pursued separate legal cases challenging other moves by Trump to alter Washington’s historic core, including his decision last year to suddenly knock down the East Wing of the White House to make way for a ballroom. In the Kennedy Center suit, the lawyers pointed to a “broader pattern of unauthorized damage to historic buildings in the capital district.”
A judge rejected the ballroom suit last month, ruling it was unlikely to succeed on the merits.
After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a hand-picked board of trustees that named him chairman. He brought in Richard Grenell to serve as president, a position he held until last week when Matt Floca assumed the role.
The center’s lineup has included more Trump-friendly programming, serving as the venue for events such as the premiere of first lady Melania Trump’s documentary, “Melania.”
The board also announced it had renamed the facility the Trump Kennedy Center, a change scholars and lawmakers say must be initiated by Congress, and physically added the president’s name to the building’s facade.
The fallout from the arts community was swift and intense. Actor Issa Rae, musician Bela Fleck and author Louise Penny were among the numerous artists who withdrew from appearances, while consultants such as musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Earlier this month, the executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, Jean Davidson, left to head the Los Angeles-based Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.