Kennedy Center renews call for Trump-backed shutdown after part of ceiling collapses

A large section of ceiling fell onto the red carpet inside the Kennedy Center's grand foyer on Friday evening, leaving a hole above the hallway that connects the arts complex's three main performance auditoriums. No one was injured.

The collapse came during stormy weather in Washington and immediately became part of the political fight over the future of the historic venue. Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center's vice president for public relations, said the damage reinforced the case for closing the building for renovations sought by President Donald Trump.

“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,” Daravi said in a statement. She called the collapse “another example of the urgent need to close for renovation and revitalization, as our Chairman President Trump has championed.”

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another example of the urgent need to close for renovation and revitalization, as our Chairman President Trump has championed.

The Trump-aligned board is seeking a two-year closure and $250 million in renovations. It is also fighting in court to add Trump's name to the facade of the building, which was established to honor President John F. Kennedy after his assassination. The proposed inscription would read: “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.”

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in May that Trump's name had been added illegally and ordered its removal. He also blocked the administration from closing the venue. The judge is now considering an August vote by the board to restore Trump's name. Justice Department lawyers have argued that donations for the renovations will dry up without it.

Other changes have continued. Last week, the center removed Blue, a large stick-figure sculpture that had stood outside since 2019. The center did not explain the removal, saying only that it was honored to have cared for the late sculptor Joel Shapiro's work. A community group opposing the closure said it suspected the board would be held responsible for the sculpture's removal, but the supplied report ends before giving the group's full comment.

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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.