US judge orders 30-day notice prior to any Kennedy Center physical changes

The ruling comes amid legal battle over Trump’s changes to the Kennedy Center, including his effort to rename it.

Scaffolding is seen on the main building of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on September 17, 2026 [Kent Nishimura/AFP]

A United States federal judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days’ notice before making major physical changes to the building, including demolition, after President Donald Trump said the Washington performing arts venue could be “ripped down”.

US District Judge Christopher Cooper issued the order on Thursday, saying it would “avoid any confusion” following the centre’s sudden closure this week.

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The Kennedy Center closed on Wednesday and will remain closed for at least seven days to assess what its executive director Matt Floca called “acute risks to public safety” from structural deterioration. Officials have cited a partial ceiling collapse earlier this month and problems with the building’s roof terrace canopy.

The temporary closure came a day after the center’s board voted to close the facility for an extended renovation. The Trump-aligned board has argued that the building, which opened in 1971, is in serious disrepair.

Trump said on Wednesday that his administration’s efforts to restore the centre deserved recognition and warned that without them, “it’s going to close. It’ll end up being ripped down”.

The judge’s order followed a request from Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex officio Kennedy Center board member who has challenged Trump’s efforts to overhaul the institution. Judge Cooper rejected Beatty’s request for an emergency hearing but ordered that any major physical changes, including demolition, would require 30 days’ notice.

On Wednesday, an AFP news agency photograph showed Trump on board Air Force One examining a placard that appeared to depict the Kennedy Center being demolished. The image showed the words “Kennedy Center DEMOLIS…” above a picture of heavy machinery clearing rubble.

US President Donald Trump examines a large printout about the Kennedy Center on board Air Force One after landing at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on September 16, 2026 [Brendan Smialowski/AFP]

The AFP image was viewed millions of times on social media and made headlines in many US news outlets. The photograph was included in Beatty’s court filing on Thursday.

The legal dispute follows Judge Cooper’s earlier rulings that blocked efforts to add Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center without congressional approval .

这项裁决出台之际，正值围绕特朗普对肯尼迪中心的改动（包括他试图将其更名）展开法律斗争之时。

2026年9月17日，华盛顿特区约翰·F·肯尼迪表演艺术中心主楼上搭起了脚手架。[肯特·西村/法新社]

美国联邦法官下令肯尼迪中心在对建筑物进行重大物理改动（包括拆除）之前，必须提前 30 天发出通知。此前，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普表示，华盛顿的这座表演艺术场所可能会被“拆掉”。

美国地区法官克里斯托弗·库珀周四发布了这项命令，称此举将“避免该中心本周突然关闭后出现任何混乱”。

史密森尼博物馆馆长宣布即将卸任（共3条，第1条）

据《华盛顿邮报》报道，美国肯尼迪中心面临破产，该中心是名单上的三家机构之二。

肯尼迪中心因金融危机和特朗普名字争议而关闭（共3条，此为第3条）

肯尼迪中心于周三关闭，并将至少关闭七天，以评估其执行主任马特·弗洛卡所称的因结构损坏造成的“对公共安全的严重风险”。官员们指出，本月初曾发生部分天花板坍塌事故，且建筑屋顶露台顶棚也存在问题。

中心临时关闭的前一天，该中心董事会投票决定关闭该设施进行长期翻修。与特朗普关系密切的董事会声称，这座于1971年开放的建筑年久失修，状况堪忧。

特朗普周三表示，他的政府为恢复该中心所做的努力值得肯定，并警告说，如果没有这些努力，“它将关闭。它最终会被拆除”。

法官的命令是应民主党众议员乔伊斯·比蒂的请求而作出的。比蒂是肯尼迪中心董事会的当然成员，她一直反对特朗普对该机构的改革。库珀法官驳回了比蒂要求举行紧急听证会的请求，但下令任何重大的物理改造，包括拆除，都需要提前30天通知。

周三，法新社发布的一张照片显示，特朗普在空军一号上查看一块标牌，标牌上似乎描绘了肯尼迪中心被拆除的场景。照片上，重型机械正在清理瓦砾，上方写着“肯尼迪中心拆除……”

2026年9月16日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在马里兰州安德鲁斯联合基地降落后，在空军一号上查看有关肯尼迪中心的大幅打印资料。[Brendan Smialowski/AFP]

法新社发布的这张照片在社交媒体上被浏览了数百万次，并成为多家美国新闻媒体的头条新闻。这张照片被列入比蒂周四提交的法庭文件中。

这场法律纠纷源于库珀法官早前的裁决，该裁决阻止了未经国会批准将特朗普的名字添加到肯尼迪中心的努力。