Kennedy Center Closes Indefinitely as Trump Demands Name on Building Facade

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts closed indefinitely on Tuesday, following a federal judge's decision last week to deny President Trump's attempt to add his name to the building.

Trump's allies on the center's board voted to close the facility, citing safety concerns, less than two hours after Trump claimed online that a security guard narrowly avoided certain death from falling plaster. Trump, who chairs the center, decreed the closing would take place immediately, but stated renovations would not begin until courts, potentially the Supreme Court, allow his name on the building front.

Heavy construction fencing subsequently went up around the building. This month, a 5-foot piece of ceiling plaster fell, but staff left the debris for nearly two weeks, posting photos on social media and mapping the debris field for a 55-page briefing to the board. No one was injured. Trump first announced in February that the center would close for two years of renovations.

Democratic lawmakers on the board described this as an excuse to avoid humiliation from plummeting ticket sales and fleeing artists. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered Trump's name removed in May after it was first placed on the center last December, stating only Congress could change the name. Thousands of protesters gathered outside the Kennedy Center on Friday, forming a human chain around the building.

Demonstrators carried signs such as "You're No Jack Kennedy" and "Hands Off the Arts." Chris Raleigh, co-founder of Hands Off the Arts, stated he hoped the event would show public willingness to fight Trump's plans. Former Kennedy Center head Richard Grenell, fired in March, secretly attempted to replace the center's art collection with art hand-picked by Trump patrons.

A proposal circulated during Grenell's tenure detailed the de-accession of artwork, including disposal via return to country of origin, transfer or exchange with another institution, public sale or destruction. Grenell instructed a curator to start sending stuff back to the countries who donated it now. Grenell asserted in an interview that he did not discuss art with Trump and was focused on returning art in need of repair.