A coalition of historic preservation and architectural groups sued President Trump and the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees on Monday, seeking to block the planned renovations of the performing arts center set to start in July.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., argues that the project would cause “irreparable harm” to the Kennedy Center and “the public’s right to meaningfully informed and heard before irrevocable actions are taken.” Trump, in his role as chairman of the board, and the board itself were among the listed defendants, along with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
“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,” the 82-page complaint argues.
Trump’s hand-picked board of the venue, which he oversees as chair, voted last week to go forward with the two-year closure and renovation plan. The center will close after a July 4 celebration, with a Grand Re-Opening” to follow once the project is complete, according to a release.
Congress earmarked $257 million in the One Big Beautiful Bill to “address decades of deferred maintenance,” at the venue, the release added. While the lawsuit said that regular repairs and maintenance are needed, the project “would go well beyond” that and “instead contemplated the erection of a fundamentally new structure.”
The Hill has reached out to the White House and Kennedy Center for comment.
Since returning to the Oval Office last January, Trump has exerted significant influence over the Kennedy Center by appointing new board members and himself as chairman. The new board voted in December to add the president’s name to the center, a move that congressional Democrats said could not occur without legislation.
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio member of the center’s board, also filed a lawsuit earlier this month seeking to block the impending closure. The Ohio Democrat, who was present at the meeting to approve the plans, told reporters last week that the proceedings moved quickly.
“It was a weak yes, it was not an overwhelming [yes], but it would be too hard, in all honesty, to discern if someone really opened their mouth or said something, and as soon as [Trump] said, ‘All those in favor,’ unanimously followed in nanoseconds,” she said of the vote. “No one said no.”
