Kennedy Center closure to last another week, at least, official says

The executive director of the Kennedy Center said in a court filing Wednesday the closure of the performing arts venue will extend another week — and he gave no indication when the closure might end.

In the filing, Kennedy Center executive director Matt Floca cited several “documented hazards” within the building, along with corrosion on the soffits around it — the underside of the building’s distinctive overhanging roof — that he claims could endanger people exiting in an emergency. Floca said the search for more structural issues continues. 

“Because the collection of information is ongoing and I remain concerned about the documented hazards and inability to provide safe egress at this time in light of those hazards, I will be extending the temporary closure for an additional week, until September 30, 2026, and will continue to reevaluate conditions and whether a closure remains necessary on a weekly basis,” Floca said in the filing. 

The notice comes after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper last week directed the Trump administration to provide 30 days’ notice of any changes in the Kennedy Center’s renovation plans, “including but not limited to any ‘demolition’ of the Center’s main building.”

Ahead of that order, Floca said in a court filing that the current closure of the main building was only “temporary” and set to last for seven days, although it would be reevaluated on a weekly basis.

The legal wrangling over the future of the performing arts center has lasted for months.

In May, the same judge issued an order blocking the planned two-year closure of the center for renovations.

The Justice Department has since asked the judge to dissolve that order so planned renovations can proceed. However, the judge has yet to rule on that motion.

In addition, the judge ruled that President Donald Trump’s name — which had been added to the center’s exterior after the Trump-controlled board voted last year to rename the building the “Trump-Kennedy Center” — had to come down.

Cooper wrote in a decision that the center’s rebranding violated the law. 

Last week, Cooper issued a written order blocking any attempt to add Trump’s name to the building, concluding it violated a previous court order and congressional statute.

“Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing,” Cooper wrote. “The board resolution bucks a federal court order and a statute Congress enacted.”

Trump has appealed Cooper’s order that the board cannot re-add Trump’s name to the building. 

Last week, Trump said the performing arts center could “close” or be “ripped down” if his administration doesn’t receive recognition on the performing arts site.

He was later photographed looking over a placard that appeared to include the words “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED” over what appeared to be an image of a demolition.