Kennedy Center Board Votes to Close Immediately

The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to immediately close the main building of the national performing arts center, according to the Los Angeles Times, which cited sources familiar with the situation.

When – or whether – the building actually goes dark remains an open question. Federal Judge Christopher Cooper has a preliminary injunction in place barring the closure, and he would have to lift it before the board’s vote could take effect. Any move to do so is expected to be contested in court.

The vote followed a 57-page packet circulated to trustees over the weekend, the Times reported, which argued that the center was in severe physical decline and approaching insolvency.

That case is already drawing fire. Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty is seeking emergency relief to halt the shutdown, arguing that trustees overstated the building’s structural dangers and misrepresented what consultants actually found, effectively taking the arts landmark “hostage,” per the Times.

The vote caps months of turmoil at the institution. Since President Trump removed the previous board and installed himself as chair, the center has seen an exodus of artists and creative leadership, rebukes in court, and a stated plan to move programming into the Reach and to offsite venues – a contingency that would take on new weight if the main building’s stages go dark.