Kennedy Center board votes to close venue immediately
The Kennedy Center board voted Tuesday to shut the Washington performing arts complex at once, saying the building’s financial and structural condition requires urgent repairs.
The board cited a partial ceiling collapse in the Grand Foyer earlier this month and said a construction consultant and the center’s director viewed the main building as unsafe for continued occupancy. A draft resolution calls for the center to close for two years.
The vote came after a federal judge in Washington rejected the board’s latest attempt to add President Donald Trump’s name to the building’s facade. A spokesperson for the center said an appeal is planned. Trump later said on social media that renovation work would not proceed unless his name is added.
Congress appropriated $250 million for the project last year. The board has now voted three times since February to pursue a two-year closure, while Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio has challenged those efforts in court, arguing the board did not do enough review before moving to shut the venue.
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