Scaffolding is seen on the main building of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on September 17, 2026 [Kent Nishimura/AFP]By AFP and The Associated PressPublished On 17 Sep 202617 Sep 2026A United States federal judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days’ notice before making major physical changes to the building, including demolition, after President Donald Trump said the Washington performing arts venue could be “ripped down”.
US District Judge Christopher Cooper issued the order on Thursday, saying it would “avoid any confusion” following the centre’s sudden closure this week.
The Kennedy Center closed on Wednesday and will remain closed for at least seven days to assess what its executive director Matt Floca called “acute risks to public safety” from structural deterioration. Officials have cited a partial ceiling collapse earlier this month and problems with the building’s roof terrace canopy.
The temporary closure came a day after the center’s board voted to close the facility for an extended renovation. The Trump-aligned board has argued that the building, which opened in 1971, is in serious disrepair.
Trump said on Wednesday that his administration’s efforts to restore the centre deserved recognition and warned that without them, “it’s going to close. It’ll end up being ripped down”.
The judge’s order followed a request from Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex officio Kennedy Center board member who has challenged Trump’s efforts to overhaul the institution. Judge Cooper rejected Beatty’s request for an emergency hearing but ordered that any major physical changes, including demolition, would require 30 days’ notice.
On Wednesday, an AFP news agency photograph showed Trump on board Air Force One examining a placard that appeared to depict the Kennedy Center being demolished. The image showed the words “Kennedy Center DEMOLIS…” above a picture of heavy machinery clearing rubble.
The AFP image was viewed millions of times on social media and made headlines in many US news outlets. The photograph was included in Beatty’s court filing on Thursday.
The legal dispute follows Judge Cooper’s earlier rulings that blocked efforts to add Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center without congressional approval.
