Trump administration threatens to demolish Kennedy Center if renovations aren’t allowed
By Devan Cole, Sunlen Serfaty, CNN
(CNN) — The Kennedy Center may need to be demolished and replaced with an open-air performance space if its current building cannot undergo extensive renovations, lawyers for the venue said in court papers on Monday.
Citing efforts by President Donald Trump to shutter the historic performance arts venue for a years long renovation, the lawyers told a federal judge that without that work, the center “will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down.”
They said that decisions would then need to be made “on what to build on the site, such as a large outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River that has been proposed, by some, for many years.”
Monday’s filing comes days after the center’s board, which is stacked with Trump allies, voted again to close the center down for the renovations. Those votes have faced repeated scrutiny in court, with a federal judge stepping in earlier this year to block the closure plans after he determined they were made unlawfully.
In the filing, the lawyers do not say whether such a plan had been discussed by the board at a meeting it held earlier this month. Instead, it was mentioned alongside arguments defending the board’s decision to vote, once again, to add Trump’s name to the front of the center’s facade and in other areas belonging to the center.
US District Judge Casey Cooper is set to hold a hearing on Thursday over a bid by Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty to stop the center from inscribing Trump’s name on its building. The Ohio congresswoman is arguing that such a move would violate federal law and defy a ruling from the judge earlier this year that said the center could not be renamed to honor both Trump and the 35th president.
Plans for the Kennedy Center
Kennedy Center officials have previously acknowledged that even after the two years, patrons of the arts institution may not see much of a difference in the physical look of the building after the renovations.
The only visible changes of note that patrons will see are landscape pavers, fountains and possible changes to the interior color palette, officials said, describing the approach as one meant to elevate the look and feel of the building, while keeping the main layout unchanged.
In April, Kennedy Center officials gave CNN and other news outlets a tour of the building, showing the boiler room, behind the stages, through the parking garages, and the HVAC system to provide evidence of the need for the renovations.
Officials showed conditions of a building with evidence of water intrusion at many places — at parking deck ceilings and floors, steel beams that had been corroded and rusted over, discolored pavers, and fireproofing that was falling apart.
A river pump room — where the center gets it’s cooling capacity from, with a big pipe dipping into and draining water from the Potomac River — had equipment that was first installed in 1971 and has not been functioning for 30 years.
The room and method for getting water are among the things that need to be completely overhauled, officials said.
This story was updated with additional reporting.
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