Trump says he’s closing the Kennedy Center for renovations. We have questions

On Sunday night, President Trump abruptly announced plans to close the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for two years “for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding” to create what he said “can be, without question, the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World.”

The timing of the announcement has taken many in Washington, D.C. and the arts world aback (and coincided with the annual Grammy Awards, on which much of the music world was focused). On Sunday evening, Richard Grenell, the president of the Kennedy Center, sent a memo to the arts complex’s staff, which was obtained by NPR, where he wrote: “We recognize this creates many questions as we plan to temporarily close most of our operations. We will have more information about staffing and operational changes in the coming days.” In a public statement posted to X on Sunday, Grenell wrote: “I am confident this sets the stage for a stronger, revitalized National Cultural and Entertainment Complex.”

We have many questions as well, which we’re currently trying to get answered. NPR reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment, but we have not received a reply. If you have additional questions that you think we should pursue, please add them below.

Wouldn’t Congress have to approve this?

On paper, yes. The Kennedy Center’s charter stipulates that it is a living memorial to the late President John F. Kennedy and to “preserving, fostering, and transmitting the performing arts traditions of the people of the United States and other countries.” But Congress has not yet moved on the announced renaming of the complex back in December.

What happens to organizations, performers and unions that currently have open contracts with the Kennedy Center?

These include long-running shows like Shear Madness, which is currently booked at the center through October and several unions with Kennedy Center contracts, which range from the musicians of the National Symphony – whose current contract is set to expire next month – to backstage crew and education staffers.

What is President Trump’s vision for this complex?

Artistic disciplines such as opera, classical music and dance have historically not been a priority for him; for example, he did not attend any Kennedy Center performances during his first term and the most recent class of Kennedy Center honorees did not include any artists from those fields. Would a “complete rebuilding” hold any space for these performing arts disciplines?

Where will the National Symphony, the Kennedy Center’s lynchpin artistic organization in residence, go once they’ve lost their home? 

Their ticket sales have crumbled in the past year; does this closing of their physical space mean that they can extricate themselves from their financial relationship with the Kennedy Center?

Why has the president identified July 4 as the closing date?

That is traditionally the middle of the Kennedy Center’s musical theater season – this year’s announced lineup includes touring productions of The Outsiders, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Back to the Future: The Musical, along with children’s shows. What will happen to that season?

Why now?

The Kennedy Center was expanded and renovated in 2019. It’s an old facility in need of work, but what was not done then that Trump believes is needed now? A source close to the Kennedy Center tells NPR that among the changes that Trump has expressed enthusiasm for is the idea of putting in marble armrests at each seat in the main theater – which, along with being cold and uncomfortable, would drastically change the venue’s acoustics, experts say.

What happens to the valuable and treasured artworks and historical artifacts housed at the Kennedy Center?

These range from the famed bust of President Kennedy in its grand foyer to cultural treasures gifted by various African nations in its African Lounge. What will happen to such artworks, cultural touchstones, and archival pieces? As a private citizen in 1980, Trump demolished two Art Deco friezes at the former Bonwit Teller department store on New York’s Fifth Avenue, which the Metropolitan Museum of Art had expressed interest in acquiring. The site would go on to become his Trump Tower. Last October, the entire East Wing of the White House was demolished, despite the concerns of preservationists and historians.

Will the newest iteration of the complex still be tied to President Kennedy’s name and legacy?

In a social media post Monday morning, Jack Schlossberg, President Kennedy’s grandson who is currently running for a congressional seat in New York’s 12th district, indicated that he thinks not. He wrote: “He [Trump] can take the Kennedy Center for himself. He can change the name, shut the doors and demolish the building. He can try to kill JFK. But JFK is kept alive by us now rising up to remove Donald Trump, bring him to justice and restore the freedoms generations fought for.”

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