Trump to shut Kennedy Heart for renovations. What subsequent? : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8256x5504+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1f%2F76%2F701f391f43c0bb2cd1490d04c03a%2Fgettyimages-2252068507.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8256x5504+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1f%2F76%2F701f391f43c0bb2cd1490d04c03a%2Fgettyimages-2252068507.jpg" class="img" alt="On Sunday, President Trump announced he will close the Kennedy Center in July for two years of renovation. Above, a tarp covers construction on the building's facade on Dec. 19, 2025, after Trump announced The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts would be renamed The Trump-Kennedy Center." fetchpriority="high"/> On Sunday, President Trump introduced he'll shut the Kennedy Heart in July for 2 years of renovation. Above, a tarp covers development on the constructing's facade on Dec. 19, 2025, after Trump introduced The John F. Kennedy Memorial Heart for the Performing Arts could be renamed The Trump-Kennedy Heart. Jim Watson/AFP through Getty Pictures conceal caption

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Jim Watson/AFP through Getty Pictures On Sunday evening, President Trump abruptly introduced plans to shut the John F. Kennedy Heart for the Performing Arts for 2 years "for Building, Revitalization, and Full Rebuilding" to create what he mentioned "will be, with out query, the best Performing Arts Facility of its variety, wherever within the World."

The timing of the announcement has taken many in Washington, D.C. and the humanities world aback (and coincided with the annual Grammy Awards, on which a lot of the music world was centered). On Sunday night, Richard Grenell, the president of the Kennedy Heart, despatched a memo to the humanities advanced's workers, which was obtained by NPR, the place he wrote: "We acknowledge this creates many questions as we plan to briefly shut most of our operations. We may have extra details about staffing and operational modifications within the coming days." In a public assertion posted to X on Sunday, Grenell wrote: "I'm assured this units the stage for a stronger, revitalized Nationwide Cultural and Leisure Advanced."

We have now many questions as properly, which we're at the moment attempting to get answered. NPR reached out to the Kennedy Heart for remark, however we've not obtained a reply. When you've got further questions that you simply suppose we should always pursue, please add them under.

Would not Congress must approve this?

On paper, sure. The Kennedy Heart's constitution stipulates that it's a residing memorial to the late President John F. Kennedy and to "preserving, fostering, and transmitting the performing arts traditions of the individuals of america and different nations." However Congress has not but moved on the introduced renaming of the advanced again in December.

What occurs to organizations, performers and unions that at the moment have open contracts with the Kennedy Heart?

These embody long-running exhibits like Shear Insanity, which is at the moment booked on the middle via October and several other unions with Kennedy Heart contracts, which vary from the musicians of the Nationwide Symphony – whose present contract is about to run out subsequent month – to backstage crew and training staffers.

What's President Trump's imaginative and prescient for this advanced?

Creative disciplines resembling opera, classical music and dance have traditionally not been a precedence for him; for instance, he didn't attend any Kennedy Heart performances throughout his first time period and the latest class of Kennedy Heart honorees didn't embody any artists from these fields. Would a "full rebuilding" maintain any area for these performing arts disciplines?

The place will the Nationwide Symphony, the Kennedy Heart's lynchpin creative group in residence, go as soon as they've misplaced their residence?

Their ticket gross sales have crumbled up to now yr; does this closing of their bodily area imply that they will extricate themselves from their monetary relationship with the Kennedy Heart?

Why has the president recognized July 4 because the time limit?

That's historically the center of the Kennedy Heart's musical theater season – this yr's introduced lineup contains touring productions of The Outsiders, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Again to the Future: The Musical, together with kids's exhibits. What's going to occur to that season?

Why now?

The Kennedy Heart was expanded and renovated in 2019. It is an outdated facility in want of labor, however what was not achieved then that Trump believes is required now? A supply near the Kennedy Heart tells NPR that among the many modifications that Trump has expressed enthusiasm for is the concept of placing in marble armrests at every seat in the principle theater – which, together with being chilly and uncomfortable, would drastically change the venue's acoustics, consultants say.

What occurs to the precious and treasured artworks and historic artifacts housed on the Kennedy Heart?

These vary from the famed bust of President Kennedy in its grand lobby to cultural treasures gifted by varied African nations in its African Lounge. What's going to occur to such artworks, cultural touchstones, and archival items? As a personal citizen in 1980, Trump demolished two Artwork Deco friezes on the former Bonwit Teller division retailer on New York's Fifth Avenue, which the Metropolitan Museum of Artwork had expressed curiosity in buying. The location would go on to change into his Trump Tower. Final October, your complete East Wing of the White Home was demolished, regardless of the considerations of preservationists and historians.

Will the most recent iteration of the advanced nonetheless be tied to President Kennedy's title and legacy?

In a social media put up Monday morning, Jack Schlossberg, President Kennedy's grandson who's at the moment operating for a congressional seat in New York's twelfth district, indicated that he thinks not. He wrote: "He [Trump] can take the Kennedy Heart for himself. He can change the title, shut the doorways and demolish the constructing. He can attempt to kill JFK. However JFK is saved alive by us now rising as much as take away Donald Trump, carry him to justice and restore the freedoms generations fought for."