Washington– A group of cultural and historic preservation organizations lobbied a federal judge Wednesday to block President Donald Trump from making it Major renovations to the Kennedy Centeran artistic and cultural venue that has undergone a rapid transformation since the president returned to office last year.
The groups want U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper to issue a preliminary injunction stopping any construction Before the start date of July 6They said they were concerned that the president and board of trustees would violate historic preservation rules seeking to preserve the building that attracts millions of visitors each year.
The laws governing the process “address the very basic question: Do we slow down and take stock before we make changes to the characteristics that define the American experience?” Attorney Greg Werkiser said in an interview after the hearing.
Justice Department lawyers representing the president and the board argued Wednesday that the building plans are limited in scope and fall within the board’s authority, and do not require additional approvals.
Since returning to office last year, Trump has shown particular interest in the Kennedy Center. He ousted its previous leadership and replaced it with a carefully selected board of directors who appointed him president, changes that angered many artists and exacerbated the operation’s financial challenges. Trump, whose name was later added to the building’s facade, announced the renovations earlier this year.
Besides being a leading arts and cultural destination, the Kennedy Center is a “living monument” to President John F. Kennedy, who raised millions to build the center but was assassinated before it opened. Located on the Potomac River, this massive building and its gleaming white marble facade are an indelible part of the Washington, D.C., landscape.
Hearing is The second in several days About the fate of the Kennedy Center. Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat, also filed a lawsuit to stop the renovations as an ex-officio member of the board. Judge Cooper is also overseeing that lawsuit. For the second day in a row, the judge’s balanced scrutiny of both sides made it difficult to discern how he might rule.
In his testimony, CEO Matt Floca, a former facilities director who was promoted by the Trump-aligned board, said the planned renovations are only to repair decades of wear and tear, including extensive water damage in a part of the building he called “the swamp.”
“The most efficient and effective way to complete the volume of projects we need to complete is to close the center,” Floca said.
Lawyers for preservation groups have raised doubts about the limited scope of the project, pointing to Trump’s comments that it would “completely expose” the building’s steel structure.
Yaakov Roth, a Justice Department lawyer representing the president, said those concerns were overblown.
“There’s no risk that there will be unilateral changes … that we’ll wake up and the building will disappear,” Roth said.
The Kennedy Center lawsuits represent another battle over Trump’s efforts to leave a lasting mark on the nation’s capital. Since taking office last year, the former Manhattan construction mogul has angered preservationists by paving over the White House’s historic Rose Garden. In October, the White House demolished its east wing to make room for it A $400 million ballroom.
Besides the Kennedy Center building, the president also added his name to the US Institute of Peace. Trump also wants to move forward with plans to build a 250-foot building “Arc de Triomphe.”