The ruling comes amid a legal battle over changes, including President Trump’s renaming of the Kennedy Center.
Published September 17, 2026
A federal judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days’ notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolition, after President Donald Trump said the Washington performing arts venue could be “torn down.”
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper issued the order Thursday, saying he wanted to “avoid confusion” after the center suddenly closed this week.
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The Kennedy Center closed Wednesday and is expected to remain closed for at least seven days while it assesses what executive director Matt Floca called “serious risks to public safety” due to structural deterioration. Officials cited a section of the ceiling that collapsed earlier this month and problems with the canopy on the building’s rooftop terrace.
The temporary closure comes a day after the center’s board of directors voted to close the facility for extended renovations. The pro-Trump board claimed the building, which opened in 1971, was in serious disrepair.
President Trump on Wednesday praised his administration’s efforts to repair the center, warning that without it “the facility will be shut down. It will eventually be demolished.”
The judge’s order was in response to a request from Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio Kennedy Center board member who has challenged President Trump’s efforts to reform the institution. Judge Cooper denied Mr. Beatty’s request for an emergency hearing, but ordered that 30 days’ notice would be required for any major physical changes, including demolition.
On Wednesday, an AFP news agency photo showed President Trump aboard Air Force One examining a placard believed to depict the Kennedy Center being demolished. The image showed the words “Kennedy Center DEMOLIS…” above a photo of heavy equipment removing debris.
The AFP image has been viewed millions of times on social media and made headlines in many US news outlets. The photo was included in documents Beatty filed in court Thursday.
The legal dispute follows an earlier ruling by Judge Cooper that blocked efforts to add Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center without Congressional approval.
