On Thursday, the board of the Kennedy Center voted a second time to shut down most of the Washington, D.C., arts complex for what is being described as a two-year major renovation plan, according to a person briefed on the vote.
In March, the center's board approved a full shutdown of the complex for major renovations, but a federal judge later ruled to temporarily block the planned closure, saying that no board members had "sufficient information" to make such a decision.
In a test of both the same judge's previous ruling and a related appeals court ruling, the board also voted on Thursday to put President Trump's name back on the center's entry, calling the complex, "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump."
In this most recent vote, the board elected to close the center's main building, while keeping The REACH, a 2019 addition, open for limited programming and as a memorial to the late President John F. Kennedy. According to the plan approved by the board, the $250 million project includes structural repairs, new marble floors, nearly $12 million in "acoustical improvements" and a plan to temporarily move the famed, eight-foot, bronze bust of Kennedy that sits in the center's main foyer. Under this plan, the main campus would reopen in the summer of 2028. The details of the proposal and the potential name change were first reported by The New York Times. The individual who was briefed on the vote spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The board's decisions will be subject to the federal judge's approval. Thursday's board meeting was held by Zoom, and was not public.
In the days leading up to Thursday's vote, Democratic legislators who serve as ex-officio Kennedy Center trustees told the Washington Post that they had still not been given access to any assessments of what such a closure would mean for the long-term wellbeing of the institution. The arts complex is chaired by President Trump, and the majority of its current board are Trump allies appointed by the president.
NPR has requested comment from the Kennedy Center, but did not receive an immediate reply. It is unclear whether or not the construction management firm named in the plans, JLL, has any experience with arts venues that feature unamplified performances, such as the orchestras, solo and chamber instrumentalists, opera companies and dance ensembles that have comprised much of the Kennedy Center's programming for decades. It is unclear how many companies bid on the contract, or how the firm was selected.
Last December, one of the center's ex-officio board members, Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, filed a federal lawsuit against Trump and the board to reverse the center's name change and halt the renovation plans. In March, a group of eight architecture and culture groups filed a separate suit to block the renovation. In May, the judge in the Beatty suit temporarily blocked the Trump closure plan. Judge Christopher Cooper wrote: "None of the board members had sufficient information in advance of the March 16 meeting to make a well-considered decision to close the center."
In February, Trump wrote on Truth Social that there had been "a one year review of The Trump Kennedy Center, that has taken place with Contractors, Musical Experts, Art Institutions, and other Advisors and Consultants" to decide between a complete or partial closure for his intended renovations. In his May ruling, Judge Cooper wrote: "The evidence of any such review is nil."
In a statement emailed to NPR Thursday afternoon, Rep. Beatty said: "This morning's decision to close the center and the surprise agenda item to put Donald Trump's name back on the building was more of the same. This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the court's ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed. I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument."
The center, once a bustling arts complex that offered free public performances 365 days a year along with its ticketed concerts and educational offerings, now sits largely empty. In January, one of the center's primary resident organizations, Washington National Opera, left, and many marquee artists canceled their planned performances after Trump's name was added to the center in December 2025. Ticket sales plummeted, and scores of Kennedy Center staffers and administrators have also departed.
On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that another resident artistic organization, the National Symphony Orchestra — whose budget is tethered to the complex — has been pushed to "the deepest financial crisis in its recent history," an assessment that multiple internal sources who were not authorized to speak with the media shared with NPR.
Last month, a federal appeals court denied President Trump's request to stop the removal of his name from the arts complex, saying that the president had failed to prove that the Kennedy Center would be "irreparably injured" without Trump's name attached to it.
On Monday, a Washington, D.C., superior court judge ordered the Kennedy Center to pay Chuck Redd, a jazz musician, more than $252,000 to cover his legal fees after the center sued him. Redd had canceled a December 2025 performance
after Trump's name was added to the complex
— it was a Christmas Eve show that Redd had hosted there for nearly 20 years . The Kennedy Center told NPR that it intends to appeal the decision.
A large tarp has covered the building's entrance since June, when the center complied with the court's order to remove Trump's name from the complex. As of Thursday, the tarp remains in place.
This digital story was edited by Jennifer Vanasco.
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