Kennedy Center Ceiling Falls; Board Renews Shutdown Push
Kennedy Center Ceiling Falls; Board Renews Shutdown Push
The News
A chunk of ceiling fell inside the Kennedy Center's grand foyer on Friday evening during stormy weather in Washington, and the center's Trump-aligned leadership immediately said it proves the building must close for renovation.
No one was injured, said Roma Daravi, the center's vice president for public relations. Debris and dust spread across a wide stretch of the red carpet that patrons normally walk to reach the Opera House, Concert Hall and Eisenhower Theater.
The collapse lands in the middle of a federal court fight over the board's plan to shut the venue for two years of renovations and to put President Donald Trump's name on the facade.
The Damage
Photos provided by the center showed a large hole in the high ceiling and debris littering the hallway that connects the three main auditoriums, according to the Associated Press.
An internal email shared with ABC News said the main building was closed immediately after the collapse, and that the grand foyer would be "restricted from all visits and non-essential access throughout the weekend." The rest of the building stays open.
Timeline
The Kennedy Center opens. It was created by an act of Congress during the Eisenhower administration and designated a living memorial shortly after President John F. Kennedy's assassination.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper rules that Trump's name was added to the building illegally and orders it taken down. He also blocks the administration from closing the venue for renovations.
The Kennedy Center's board votes to return Trump's name to the facade, so that it would read: "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump." That vote is now before Judge Cooper.
The center takes down "Blue," a large stick-figure sculpture by the late artist Joel Shapiro that had stood outside since 2019. The center gave no reason, but said it was "honored to have been stewards" of the work.
An overnight storm hits the capital. The Daily Mail reported the storm knocked down trees and knocked out power across Washington. That evening, part of the grand foyer ceiling collapses.
Reactions
Daravi called the partial collapse "another example of the urgent need to close for renovation and revitalization, as our Chairman President Trump has championed."
"This structural failure stems from decades of neglect and deferred maintenance by the previous leadership, and there's no justification for further delays in restoring America's cultural center," she said in a statement.
Grace Terpstra, founder of Keep the KC, a community group fighting the closure, said she suspects the board will seize on what appears to be limited ceiling damage "to make the point that the whole thing needs to be shut down, that it's going to fall on everybody."
"I think they'll try to make it into a bigger thing and show that they've found a lot of other things," Terpstra said.
What's Next
Judge Cooper is weighing whether to block the board's August vote to add Trump's name to the facade. Justice Department lawyers have argued that donations for the renovations will dry up without Trump's name on the building.
The board's plan calls for closing the center for two years and spending $250 million on renovations. Only a handful of performances are currently scheduled, mainly at the adjacent facility known as the REACH.
More
The fight over the Kennedy Center is one piece of Trump's second-term effort to reshape Washington's landmarks. He has already demolished the East Wing of the White House to make room for a ballroom, and he has plans for a triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery and a renovated golf course along the Potomac River.
Poll
Should the Kennedy Center close for a two-year renovation?
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