Trump administration attorneys ask a judge to block renovations at the Kennedy Center or face demolition

The Trump administration threatened to seek demolition of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts if a federal judge determines the landmark cultural venue cannot close for a two-year renovation, according to court filings described by The Hill on Monday.

The filings, submitted by attorney Brantley T. Mayer, repeatedly characterized the Kennedy Center as needing urgent repairs and used language likening the structure to being “decrepit,” the report said. In those filings, Mayer argued that the administration’s position depends on whether the court allows the kind of two-year closure that would enable renovations.

The administration’s threat turns on the outcome of a judge’s determination about whether the center can be closed for that duration. If the court concludes that the Kennedy Center cannot undertake the two-year closure described in the renovation plan, the administration said it would pursue demolition instead, per the account of the filings.

The Kennedy Center is one of Washington’s best-known performance venues, and a prolonged shutdown would affect scheduled events and tenant operations. The administration’s position, as described, therefore raises not only construction and safety questions, but also questions of how quickly an alternative remedy could be carried out if a court limits the renovation timeline or approach.

The procedural posture, as outlined in the reporting, suggests the issue is being litigated in federal court. The immediate next step is the judge’s decision on whether the center can close for two years for renovations, after which the administration’s contemplated remedy would be clearer.

Mayer’s court filings and the administration’s demolition threat are part of a broader dispute over how and when renovations should occur, and what remedies are available if the renovation plan cannot proceed as proposed. The controversy is likely to keep attention on the court’s findings and any subsequent enforcement actions tied to the decision.