Trump admin says Kennedy Center ‘fundamentally unsafe’, may demolish it if court blocks renovations
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump admin says Kennedy Center ‘fundamentally unsafe’, may demolish it if court blocks renovations")
DOJ attorneys called the Kennedy Center structurally unsound, fundamentally unsafe, and embarrassing to the capital. Photograph: (AFP)
The DOJ attorneys called the Kennedy Center structurally unsound, fundamentally unsafe, and embarrassing to the Nation’s Capital. The filing states that any potential outdoor amphitheater would fail to adequately honour President John F. Kennedy.
The Trump administration has threatened the demolition of the Kennedy Center if the arts institution isn’t allowed to close for two years for renovations. It is the first time that the administration has revealed its intention in the court.
“Without those efforts, the Center will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down, with a determination to follow on what to build on the site, such as a large outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River that has been proposed, by some, for many years,” Justice Department attorney Brantley T. Mayers wrote in a court filing on Monday.
The filing further states that any potential outdoor amphitheater would “fail to adequately honor” President John F. Kennedy, “but would be simpler and more economical to build, operate, and maintain.”
The DOJ attorneys called the Kennedy Center “structurally unsound, fundamentally unsafe, and embarrassing to the Nation’s Capital.”
The filing marks a dramatic shift in the administration’s stance on the monthslong saga to renovate the historic arts institution, which has faced multiple legal challenges and criticism from Democrats, musicians, and members of the Kennedy family.
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Kennedy Center Executive Director Matt Floca had earlier said that the renovations would include a “total replacement of stage lifts and rigging systems” and wide-ranging electrical work and leak prevention that could be completed within two years if the facility was shut down for renovations. However, there was no mention of the possibility of razing the site.
Opposing a motion from Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, to block the administration from closing the center completely, Mayers wrote, “Even Beatty should prefer a healthy, restored Center to a decaying hulk that is doomed to inevitable destruction or collapse. The Court should allow the Board and President Trump to bring the Center back to a level of greatness far higher than it has ever had before. This would be the fitting tribute that President Kennedy so well deserves.”
Beatty claimed the closure decision was rushed and that board members weren’t presented with enough information about various scenarios before having to vote on it.
She is also challenging the Trump-appointed board’s renewed bid to add Trump’s name to the front of the building. A judge found the board’s earlier bid to do so to be unlawful and compelled it to remove the president’s name from the building. Trump is appealing and the board voted this month to add his name back to the building in a slightly different way.
The next hearing on the planned name change and closure is scheduled on Thursday afternoon.
