Preservation groups seek to block Trump’s Kennedy Center renovations
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A group of cultural and historic preservation groups on Wednesday called on a federal judge to block President Donald Trump from making major renovations to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which has undergone significant changes since the president returned to office last year.
The groups asked U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper to issue an injunction to block any construction ahead of the planned July 6 project launch, saying they were concerned the president and the center’s board of trustees would ignore historic preservation rules aimed at protecting the building.
Attorney Greg Werkheiser said after the hearing that the laws governing the process “address the fundamental question: Do we slow down and take stock before making changes to properties that define the American experience?”
Justice Department lawyers representing the president and the board argued that the administration’s plans for the building were within the board’s authority, claiming that they were limited in scope and did not need extra approvals.
TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER’S BOARD UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED $257 MILLION RENOVATION AND TWO-YEAR CLOSING
A group of cultural and historic preservation groups has called on a federal judge to block President Donald Trump from making major renovations to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. (Getty Images)
Upon his return to the White House, Trump ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a hand-picked panel of allies who installed him as president; This sparked a backlash from many artists. Trump’s name was later added to the building’s facade as well, reading: “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
Trump announced planned renovations for the center earlier this year.
Wednesday’s hearing followed a separate hearing the day before about the future of the centre.
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, also filed a lawsuit to halt the renovations as an ex-officio member of the board, and Cooper is leading the lawsuit.
The center’s general manager, former facilities manager Matt Floca, who was named to the Trump-elected board, testified that the planned renovations were to repair decades of wear and tear, including extensive water damage to a section of the building nicknamed “the swamp.”
Exterior view of the Kennedy Center on the Potomac River, Washington, DC (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“The most efficient and effective way to complete the large-scale projects we need to complete is to close the center,” Floca said. he said.
Lawyers for preservation groups questioned claims that the scope of the project was limited, citing Trump’s statements that he would “completely expose” the building’s steel frame.
Justice Department lawyer Yaakov Roth said those concerns were disproportionate.
“There’s no risk of unilateral changes happening, us waking up and the building disappearing,” Roth said.
TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER’S NEW LEADER WAS ANNOUNCED AS RIC GRENELL LEFT THE TOP ROLE
President Donald Trump stands in the presidential box while touring the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)
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The lawsuits over the fate of the Kennedy Center were filed amid other fights over Trump’s efforts to alter historic sites in the nation’s capital.
Since returning to office last year, Trump has frustrated preservationists, including paving over the White House Rose Garden. Last year, the White House demolished the East Wing to make room for the president’s proposed $400 million ballroom, but construction of the ballroom was halted by a judge because the lawsuit was ongoing.
Trump also has plans to erect a 250-foot “triumphal arch” to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
