National Trust for Historic Preservation, AIA, and Others Sue Trump Administration Over Kennedy Center Plan
A coalition of eight cultural heritage and architectural organizations has announced the filing of a lawsuit in federal district court in Washington, D.C., to ensure that any alterations to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts floated by the Trump administration abide by historic preservation laws and secure proper Congressional authorization before they are implemented.
Opened in 1971 as a “living memorial” to President Kennedy, the Edward Durell Stone–designed cultural complex is set to close this July ahead of a two-year renovation project that Trump himself has said,could take the building “down to the steel.” The building and grounds have been determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, which triggers processes and protections under the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The suit does not challenge routine repairs and maintenance to the building, for which Congress recently appropriated $257 million. Rather, the plaintiffs “seek to prevent irreversible harm to defining architectural and historic features without the process and authority required by law.”
Trump touring the Kennedy Center earlier this year. Photo courtesy The White House via Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
“The Kennedy Center is a public asset that must be shaped through transparency, expertise, and the communities it serves,” said Illya Azaroff, 2026 president of the American Institute of Architects, which is one of the eight plaintiffs in the suit.
Represented by three law firms, the plaintiffs say that the suit was prompted in part by the White House East Wing demolition debacle in which Trump publicly claimed that the historic annex would not be touched to make way for a mammoth new ballroom facility that, as planned, dwarfs the executive residence. Just weeks later, the East Wing was razed in its entirety with little warning—a move prompting widespread bipartisan outcry.
With more than one million members and supporters shared collectively between them, the plaintiffs include, in addition to the AIA: the American Society of Landscape Architects, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Docomomo US, The Cultural Landscape Foundation, the Society of Architectural Historians, the DC Preservation League, and the Committee of 100 on the Federal City.
“The Kennedy Center is a historically significant architectural icon and a performance venue beloved by millions of Americans,” says National Trust president and CEO Carol Quillen. “We’re concerned that, as with the White House East Wing, the potential scope of planned changes is understated and will result in irreparable loss. We respectfully urge the Administration to follow all required consultative processes. Doing so will improve the design and enable transparency and public engagement—values befitting a government by the people.”
In addition to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are soon expected to file a request for a preliminary injunction, which will ask the court to halt any demolition or substantial alteration until the government completes required public review and consultation processes.
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Trump has long mused about making over the Kennedy Center to his liking. In December, he added his name to the building following a vote from the Kennedy Center board (minus non-Trump-appointed ex officio members, whose votes were nullified). While the complex’s facade now reads “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” the name change has no legal standing. Meanwhile, a crippling wave of artist cancellations, longtime staff resignations, and plunging ticket sales have left the center essentially empty ahead of the planned closure. Flagship arts organizations such as the Washington National Opera, which has performed in the center’s Opera House since 1971, have also announced their exit in recent months. Earlier this month, the center’s board voted to approve center facilities manager Matt Floca, as its new head following the resignation of Ric Grenell. The board also ratified plans for the two-year closure immediately after July 4.
As of this writing, an architect leading the renovation has not been named and the exact scope of the planned work is unknown although Trump has publicly touted that new seating will be installed and the building’s marble exterior will be restored.
The three law firms representing the plaintiffs are currently involved with other efforts to halt the Trump administration’s plans to “significantly alter federal properties” while skirting the required review processes. Last November, Cultural Heritage Partners filed suit to prevent the administration from painting the historic granite facade of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located opposite the White House, without public consultation. The following month, law firm Foley Hoag, representing the National Trust, challenged the controversial White House ballroom scheme. And in February, Lowell & Associates sued to stop the planned redevelopment of East Potomac Golf Course, a historic public course on federal land, and the dumping of East Wing demolition debris at that site.
“This case is not about politics or aesthetics,” said Abbe David Lowell, founding member of Lowell & Associates, in a statement regarding the planned Kennedy Center renovation. “It is about whether the President can impose major changes to historic buildings while denying the public voice that federal law requires.”
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