Renovation projected at $285M; Congress allocated $257M through 2029
Court filings made public Monday in the Kennedy Center facade dispute detail 10 different ways the board has identified to install President Trump’s name on the building’s exterior marble—with six of those options adding his name twice, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reviewed the documents.
A second resolution in the court papers addresses how to reinstall Trump’s name. The document characterizes the institution as in such a “dire financial position” that within weeks it will not be able to pay employees or fulfill maintenance contracts. Trump serves as the board’s chairman.
The board is also expected to vote Tuesday on a separate resolution to close the venue’s main building that day for an extensive renovation projected to last at least two years and to cost $285 million. Water intrusion and a partial ceiling collapse in the Grand Foyer have created a hazardous situation for visitors and employees, according to the closure resolution, which states that danger outweighs “any reputational risks” that could be caused by the venue closing. The Kennedy Center press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the resolutions, which were earlier reported by The Washington Post.
The signage and closure votes are the latest developments in a legal fight over Trump’s renaming of the institution. In May, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered Trump’s name removed from the center’s facade, where since December it had been affixed ahead of President John F. Kennedy’s. Cooper ruled that only Congress can authorize renaming the institution. Board officials have said they want to recognize Trump’s efforts to “raise the necessary funds to keep the Center from bankruptcy during its much needed renovation.”
The board voted last month to put Trump’s name back on the building, setting off a new round of legal proceedings. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D., Ohio), an ex officio board member who sued to have Trump’s name removed, returned to court seeking to block two inscriptions the board approved to accompany Kennedy’s name. The first would read “renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump.” A second—“endowed by The Trump Kennedy Center Fund”—would be added once a private endowment the board created in June has raised $100 million. The board also voted to name the grounds in front of the center as “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
Work to install the new signage had been scheduled to begin Sept. 8, but the board agreed to hold off until October after an August hearing at which Cooper expressed skepticism about whether the board’s inscriptions were lawful. Although the judge has yet to issue a ruling, the 10 different options for installing Trump’s name on the exterior marble use similar language; six of the 10 would add his name to the building twice.
“This is now the third attempt to deface this sacred memorial and turn it into a vanity project for one man’s ego,” Beatty’s attorneys Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky said in a statement.
The financial backdrop to the board’s actions includes a split federal-private funding structure. Federal appropriations cover operations, maintenance, and other campus expenses, while the institution’s employee payroll and programming lineup are funded separately through ticketing, fundraising, and other non-federal revenue. The Kennedy Center’s budget submission for fiscal year 2027 was roughly on par with that of 2026, calling for $37 million, $2.4 million of which was earmarked for repair and restoration. Congress also allocated a one-time, $257 million sum last year toward infrastructure, renovations, and a backlog of structural maintenance; those funds are available through 2029.
The closure, if approved, would extend a period of disruption that began when Trump became chairman last year. The Wall Street Journal reported that ticket sales dropped after he installed himself as chair, stacked the board with his own appointees, and altered some programming. Trump has said the building would have to close for repairs as artists including composer Philip Glass and the Martha Graham Dance Company started canceling performances and the Washington National Opera moved elsewhere. The Kennedy Center’s 17-acre campus, with its opera house, concert hall, and additional theaters, historically drew three million visitors a year, according to the Government Accountability Office. Composers were known to jockey for the chance to premiere a new piece of music there, and top touring acts typically booked spots there years in advance.
Hands Off the Arts, an advocacy group that has protested Trump’s changes to the center, has planned a rally outside the venue for Friday evening, with organizers expecting hundreds of attendees.