Is the Kennedy Center closed? Question hangs over arts institution as judge orders update

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One day after a dramatic meeting of the arts institution’s Board of Trustees, during which members – many of whom are allies of President Donald Trump – voted to close its doors , lights inside the Kennedy Center’s main building appeared to have been turned off.

The doors had been locked at 6 p.m. Tuesday night and bike racks were stacked up by entrances to block public access.

But officially closing the public monument would violate a court order requiring it remain open as a lawsuit brought by Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty continues.

On Wednesday, US District Court Judge Christopher Cooper, in response to an appeal for an emergency hearing filed by Beatty, ordered the Trump administration to answer questions over the status of the building by Thursday at 10 a.m ET.

Beatty issued the request after a member of her legal team was denied entry to the main building and “was informed by several security staff members that the building is currently closed to the public,” her attorneys said in a court filing.

A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center said the building was closed due to safety concerns, the filing noted, but Beatty’s lawyers said that when they asked for an explanation from the Justice Department, they did not receive a reply – a violation of the court order, they contend.

When CNN visited on Wednesday, no signage was visible indicating any change of status to the main building – despite the fences and barricades over the doors.

A few security guards were outside as construction crews worked outside the building, where a fence with white curtains had been erected.

Outside the main building, the digital advertising boards still hype upcoming shows, and a landscaper was pruning the hedges. Employees came and went through a parking garage entrance. One of them told CNN that their badge worked for getting into the building – but only on the side doors.

CNN has reached out to the Kennedy Center for an update on the building’s status.

A lone protestor stood outside with a sign that said: “There is still an injunction, remember?” And “shame on the Trump board.”

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The Kennedy Center saga shows how consumed Trump is with his own glorification

The relative calm of the scene belies the drama that is expected to continue in the days to come.

The Justice Department has said it plans by Friday to appeal the court’s decision forcing it to remain open, while Trump has warned that the center may not reopen unless his name can be affixed to the building.

Meanwhile, an annex of the Kennedy Center, a separate arts space known as The Reach, remains open.

On Wednesday, the song “Jolene” was being played. A Dolly Parton celebration is planned for September 25.

When asked if it will remain open, a worker there replied, dryly: “We have no idea.”

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在肯尼迪中心董事会召开了一次戏剧性的会议后第二天，肯尼迪中心主楼内的灯光似乎被关掉了。在这次会议上，许多与唐纳德·特朗普总统关系密切的董事会成员投票决定关闭肯尼迪中心。

周二晚上6点，大门就被锁上了，入口处堆放着自行车架，阻止公众通行。

但正式关闭这座公共纪念碑将违反法院命令，该命令要求纪念碑在民主党众议员乔伊斯·比蒂提起的诉讼期间保持开放。

周三，美国地方法院法官克里斯托弗·库珀 (Christopher Cooper) 回应了比蒂 (Beatty) 提出的紧急听证请求，命令特朗普政府在周四上午 10 点（美国东部时间）之前回答有关该建筑物状况的问题。

比蒂的律师在一份法庭文件中表示，此前比蒂的法律团队成员被拒绝进入主楼，“几名保安人员告知该大楼目前不对公众开放”，比蒂因此提出了这一请求。

肯尼迪中心的一位发言人表示，该建筑因安全问题而关闭，文件指出，但比蒂的律师表示，当他们向司法部要求解释时，没有收到回复——他们认为这违反了法院命令。

CNN 记者周三到访时，尽管大门上竖起了围栏和路障，但没有任何标志表明主楼的状态发生了任何变化。

几名保安人员在外面，建筑工人在建筑物外施工，那里竖起了一道带有白色帘子的围栏。

主楼外，电子广告牌依然滚动播放着即将上映的节目，一位园艺工人正在修剪树篱。员工们从停车场入口进出。其中一位告诉CNN，他们的工牌可以进入大楼，但只能从侧门进入。

CNN已联系肯尼迪中心，询问该建筑的最新情况。

一名抗议者独自站在外面，举着一块牌子，上面写着：“禁令仍然有效，还记得吗？”以及“特朗普董事会真可耻。”

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肯尼迪中心事件表明，特朗普有多么沉迷于自我吹捧。

眼前的相对平静掩盖了未来几天预计将持续上演的戏剧性场面。

司法部表示计划在周五之前对法院强制该中心继续开放的裁决提出上诉，而特朗普则警告说，除非他的名字能被刻在建筑物上，否则该中心可能不会重新开放。

与此同时，肯尼迪中心的一个附属建筑，名为“The Reach”的独立艺术空间，仍然开放。

周三播放的是歌曲《Jolene》。多莉·帕顿的庆祝活动计划于9月25日举行。

当被问及是否会继续营业时，那里的一名工作人员冷冷地回答说：“我们不知道。”