Part of the Kennedy Center’s ceiling collapsed after a powerful storm swept through Washington, DC, causing damage at the landmark performing arts venue.
The severe weather tore through sections of the cultural center’s roof, leaving a visible hole in the building.
In the wake of the damage, the White House renewed its push for renovations at the Kennedy Center, pointing to what it described as “decades of neglect.”
A source told The Daily Mail that staff first saw pieces of the ceiling falling into the grand foyer at about 5pm on Friday.
Photos from inside the Kennedy Center showed debris scattered across the carpet after the intense overnight storm battered the nation’s capital.
Outside, high winds downed trees and knocked out power to tens of thousands of people with many still in the dark.
No one was injured when the main hall’s ceiling collapsed but Kennedy Center leaders used the situation to amplify President Donald Trump’s calls for modernization.
‘Another example of the urgent need to close for renovation and revitalization, as our Chairman President Trump has championed,’ VP of Public Relations for the Kennedy Center Roma Daravi told The Daily Mail.
A harrowing storm hit Washington DC Thursday night, causing pieces of the already troubled Kennedy Center to fall to the floor
A small hole was clearly visible in the ceiling and a ton of debris was seen on the floor of the grand foyer
The damage has led to renewed calls for renovations at the Kennedy Center in line with the president’s vision
‘This structural failure stems from decades of neglect and deferred maintenance by the previous leadership, and there’s no justification for further delays in restoring America’s cultural center,’ she added.
Kennedy Center employees received an email Friday announcing the Main Building would be closed for the remainder of Friday night.
‘This closure is necessary to ensure the safety of staff, contractors, and any other personnel who may otherwise access the facility while O&M evaluates and addresses the identified conditions,’ the email said.
While the Main Building is slated to open again on Saturday, the Grand Foyer will remain closed through the weekend.
The cultural center has been a flashpoint of debate during Trump’s second term, with the president attempting to revitalize the structure and even temporarily putting his name on it.
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A source noted that the collapse happened in nearly the same place Democrat Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, one of the chief opponents to Trump’s renovations and renaming plans, held a photo shoot.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Congresswoman Beatty for comment.
The Kennedy Center has been at the center of a long-running saga after Trump overhauled the board of trustees to install his own allies.
An intense overnight storm knocked down trees and power lines in the nation’s capital
Kennedy Center employees received an email Friday announcing the Main Building would be closed for the remainder of Friday night
The board has since been fighting in court for the right to plaster the president’s name on the Kennedy Center.
His name was first added in December last year, before it Judge Christopher Cooper deemed it unlawful.
The signage remained on the historic building for 176 days after the ruling until it was finally chiseled off, than six months after it was affixed to the historic performing arts center dedicated to President John F Kennedy.
Since then, the Democrats have fought tooth and nail to prevent any more of Trump’s changes.
In a court filing on Monday, Justice Department attorneys painted a grim picture of the state of the Kennedy Center saying it is, ‘a financially insolvent facility, housed in a decrepit, dilapidated, crumbling building’ that ‘continues to race toward physical and financial ruin.’
Renovations were required they argued, but ‘an order blocking the Board from appropriately recognizing President Trump will cause donors to flee, financial contributions to dry up, and structural rehabilitation to stop.
The cultural center has been the flashpoint of debate during the second Trump term as the President has tried to revitalize it, even temporarily putting his name on it
‘There will simply not be the expertise or funding necessary to rebuild and renovate this decimated structure.’
On Wednesday, officials at the center took down a sculpture known as Blue, the latest change at the Kennedy Center that stirred some pushback.
The changes fall within a broader effort to reshape Washington to Trump’s liking, including demolishing the White House’s East Wing to build a ballroom, a proposed triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery and a renovated golf course.