What on earth happened to the Kennedy Center? - USA Today

For many Americans, those words call to mind prestigious awards shows, glitzy cultural events and iconic musical performances.

Since it opened more than 50 years ago, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has maintained a reputation as one of the nation’s premier cultural institutions, hosting distinguished events like the Kennedy Center Honors and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

But that prestigious image is quickly fading.

Its typically packed events calendar has remained bare for months. On Sept. 15, the center’s board voted to shutter the institution's main building for two years for renovations. And in a resolution made public this week, officials at the institution said the building was “unsafe for continued occupancy” and faces “certain fiscal collapse within weeks.”

The Trump administration says previous leaders mismanaged the facility and allowed it to fall into disrepair. The board – which was handpicked by President Donald Trump – cited a partial ceiling collapse in the building’s grand foyer to justify a two-year closure.

But critics say Trump’s attempt to overhaul the facility – including a failed effort to add his name to the building – caused its downfall, leading performers to cancel events and fundraising to plummet. They also accuse the administration of exaggerating problems with the building to justify a lengthy closure for renovations pushed by Trump and his administration.

Either way, the current discussions around the Kennedy Center highlight how an institution long celebrated by Democrats and Republicans for its display of the nation's best works of art has turned into a tense political battleground.

USA TODAY reached out to the White House and the Kennedy Center for comment. Neither have responded.

Andrew Hartman, a history professor at Illinois State University, said the Kennedy Center has for decades maintained an important position in the nation's capital as a "cultural marker," in part because of its fervent bipartisan support.

If it closes permanently or is "taken down," as the administration has warned, Hartman said that would mark the end of a unifying institution designed to celebrate the best of American entertainment.

"It's very important to the culture," he said.

The Kennedy Center opened in 1971 in honor of the late 35th president. President Dwight D. Eisenhower first envisioned the cultural center, which sits on the bank of the Potomac River, as an “artistic mecca."

Speaking at the center's groundbreaking ceremony in December 1964, Eisenhower drew on the words of John F. Kennedy to describe his vision for the institution: "I look forward to an America which will steadily raise the standards of artistic accomplishment and which will steadily enlarge cultural opportunities for all of our citizens."

In the decades after it opened, the Kennedy Center earned a reputation for its high-profile award ceremonies, live orchestras and world-renowned theater performances. Its annual Kennedy Center Honors became a marquee event in Washington that was watched by millions of Americans at home.

Hartman said administrations of both parties similarly embraced the Kennedy Center.

"No matter who was president, whether it was Bush, Clinton or Obama, they loved the Kennedy Center, loved hosting events there," he said. "They loved having this central cultural institution that would allow them to attach their political legacy to American culture."

That changed when Trump returned to office.

Trump did not attend the Kennedy Center Honors during his first term, making him the first president in modern history to skip the event for four straight years. He otherwise allowed the institution to operate without much input.

But since the start of last year, Trump has moved aggressively to remake the center to his liking, hosting the Kennedy Center Honors program and installing loyalists on the board who've pushed to add the president's name to the building.

Here’s something everyone agrees on: The Kennedy Center, a building more than a half-century old, needs repairs and renovations.

But the current state of the building and the urgency of those renovations is heavily debated.

Trump and his allies have said in recent days that keeping the Kennedy Center open could cost lives, citing a recent partial ceiling collapse during a rainstorm.

“The Kennedy Center is in a virtual state of collapse, and has been for many years. A large piece of concrete and steel just dropped down, in a thud, from the ceiling of a heavily trafficked main hallway,” Trump said in a social media post.

“If the Building were open, innocent people would have been killed. A security guard had just passed the area, one minute prior to this ceiling collapse. He was, therefore, 60 seconds away from certain death," he continued.

Rep. Joyce Beatty, the plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging efforts to close the building, accused Trump of “holding the Kennedy Center hostage unless he can put his name on this sacred memorial.”

Beatty and other critics of Trump’s project maintain that the Kennedy Center has historically conducted "phased renovations" to keep the center open during construction. She argued that the reason the center’s money has dried up is Trump’s involvement – not the state of the building.

"This is how major performing arts centers in the country operate," Beatty said. "But donors, patrons, and artists all fled after the unlawful attempt to rename this sacred memorial after Donald Trump."

Beatty added: "Donald Trump only cares about the Kennedy Center for his vanity. That is wrong and it is a breach of his fiduciary duty as a trustee."

In February 2025, Trump named himself chairman of the center’s board of trustees and ousted board members who he said did not share “our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.” He replaced them with close allies, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino.

Trump blasted the center for what he described as its “woke” programming, mirroring similar accusations he has made against the Smithsonian as well as other cultural institutions. In a statement tearing into the center, he criticized its decision to host drag show performances at its venue. "THIS WILL STOP," Trump wrote.

In December, the board voted to rename the institution after the president, arguing that he helped secure federal funding critical for renovations. His name was added to the building's exterior less than 24 hours later.

In May, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper ordered that Trump’s name be removed, writing in an opinion that federal law makes clear "the Kennedy Center must be named for, and is meant to honor, President Kennedy alone."

Trump’s name was removed from the building’s façade the following month, though scaffolding remains in front of the center, blocking much of the building's name from public view.

Meanwhile, more than two dozen artists canceled performances at the center in protest of Trump’s increasing control over the institution. The Washington National Opera permanently withdrew its residency, and a touring production of the hit Broadway musical "Hamilton" canceled a planned run of shows.

The Kennedy Center makes less than half of its revenue from ticket sales, according to tax forms from recent years.

On Sept. 15, the board voted to close most of the institution for two years as it pushes for a slate of renovations sought by Trump and his administration.

It was at least the second time the board had taken such a vote. In May, Cooper blocked an earlier vote that sought to close the Kennedy Center, writing in court filings that board members acted hastily in approving the president’s closure. Whether the institution will close for two years remains an open question that will likely be decided by Cooper.

At the same time, Trump has said he won’t move ahead with any renovations unless his name is added back onto the building.

"The closing will take place immediately, however, the Renovation and Reconstruction, which is a very large and complex job, cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board’s approved name," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

"If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place,” he added.

In August, Trump and the Justice Department warned that if renovations don’t move forward, the Kennedy Center may have to be “taken down.” Beatty said the statement was “delusional” and called it another threat aimed at getting Trump’s name on the building.

Hartman said any permanent closure of the Kennedy Center would represent a loss for American culture, as it would remove a platform designed to unify the country around its best works of artistic expression.

He added that it would also mark the end of Washington's premier cultural center, which notably offers a variety of free shows as well as youth initiatives and other programs aimed at getting children and young people involved in the arts.

"It's part of a larger experience of the nation's capital," Hartman said. "It would be a significant loss."

This story was updated to add a map of the Kennedy Center.