The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., is slated to close for two years for renovations, potentially beginning on the nation’s 250th anniversary on July 4.
On Sunday, Feb. 1, in a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump announced plans to shutter the storied facility for “Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding.”
“I have determined that The Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World,” he wrote. “In other words, if we don’t close, the quality of Construction will not be nearly as good, and the time to completion, because of interruptions with Audiences from the many Events using the Facility, will be much longer.”
Under the proposal, which the president said still requires board approval, the facility would close beginning on Independence Day.
Trump added that the “important decision, based on input from many Highly Respected Experts,” would transform what he described as a “tired, broken, and dilapidated Center” into a “World Class Bastion of Arts, Music, and Entertainment, far better than it has ever been before.”
The project is expected to cost $257 million, the Washington Post reported. According to the president, financing is already complete.
The announcement comes after a year of turbulence for the performing arts center, created to honor John F. Kennedy. Controversy first began when Trump took control of the center in February 2025 and installed a board of loyalists. Soon after, several high-profile artists and productions canceled appearances, including Issa Rae, who pulled a stop on her book tour; Rhiannon Giddens; and the producers of “Hamilton,” who scrapped a planned 250th-anniversary run of the hit show. The center also canceled a performance featuring the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC.
The year ended with declining attendance at what has long been one of the nation’s busiest performing arts venues, along with the highly controversial decision to place Trump’s name on the building and rebrand it as “The Trump Kennedy Center,” which brought even more cancellations. He also hosted the Kennedy Center Honors — something no other sitting president has done. In 2026, the turmoil has only continued as a long-running Martin Luther King Jr. Day concert changed venues for the first time in more than 20 years.
In a typical year, the center hosts more than 2,000 events, performances and educational programs, drawing millions of visitors annually. Given that volume, Trump argued that a full closure is necessary to prevent construction delays caused by ongoing programming.
Since the announcement, several members of the Kennedy family have spoken out against the plan.
Joe Kennedy III, a great-nephew of JFK, wrote in a post on X, “While this trespass on the People’s will is painful, President Kennedy would remind us that it is not buildings that define the greatness of a nation. It is the actions of its people and its leaders. So, do not be distracted from what this Administration is actually trying to erase: our connection, our community, and our commitment to the rights of all.”
Meanwhile, Maria Shriver, the daughter of JFK’s sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver, wrote on the same platform, “I’ve determined that due to this change in schedule, it’s best for me to close this center down and rebuild a new center that will bear my name, which will surely get everybody to stop talking about the fact that everybody’s canceling… right?”
Members of the local performing arts community have also raised alarm, warning that a closure of this length could have devastating effects across the industry. In the meantime, they are urging the public to support the local arts scene now more than ever.
