Several conservation groups sued Monday to block the planned massive renovations at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, arguing the Trump administration plans to "hastily gut" the center without regard to its history or statutory guardrails.
President Donald Trump and his handpicked board of trustees plan to “fundamentally alter this iconic property without complying with bedrock federal historic preservation and environmental laws, and without securing the necessary congressional authorization," their suit says.
The suit contends that time is of the essence because Trump, who named himself the board's chair last year, has acknowledged they've "already commenced preliminary construction work” at the site and announced this month that the center would temporarily close on July 5 so the renovations can begin in earnest.
“Given the numerous public statements and actions by the Board of Trustees and Mr. Trump — which at minimum signal an intent to hastily gut the Kennedy Center down to its structural steel studs — immediate and effective judicial relief is required to prevent irreparable harm to the Kennedy Center and to the public’s right to be meaningfully informed and heard before irrevocable actions are taken,” the suit says.
White House spokeswoman Liz Huston responded in a statement that Trump "is committed to making the Trump-Kennedy Center the finest performing arts facility in the world. We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue."
At a March 16 board meeting, Trump said the center would be closed for two years while the $250 million renovation project is carried out.
"Everything’s in bad shape. It’s got to be redone,” he said at the meeting.
“You have to close it. Putting new marbles in, beautiful, beautiful marbles. When you do marbles, you can’t have people walking over the marble every night as it's drying and setting, going to a play,” he said.
The groups, including the DC Preservation League, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Docomomo, a group dedicated to increasing public awareness and appreciation of architecture, contend the center hasn't followed proper procedures or undergone the necessary reviews for such a project, which they contend also needs congressional approval.
They're asking a federal judge to declare that the administration has violated the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act and other statutes. They’re also asking the judge to rule that the 2025 congressional appropriation of $256,657,000 “for necessary expenses for capital repair, restoration, maintenance backlog, and security structures” does not authorize the erection of new structures or a discretionary aesthetic transformation of the Kennedy Center.
A federal judge allowed Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex officio board member, to attend but not vote during last week’s meeting, where the board voted in favor of the closure and renovation. Part of Beatty's suit challenging the renovation and closure has yet to be resolved.
The conservation groups charge that the board has already made unauthorized changes to the site, including adding Trump's name to the signage of the center, which they describe as a "living memorial" to the late President John F. Kennedy. They want a judge to stop the administration from making changes that can't be undone.
"Historic fabric, once demolished, cannot be restored," the suit says.
