The executive director of the Kennedy Center said in a court filing Wednesday the closure of the performing arts venue will extend another week — and he gave no indication when the closure might end.<\/p>\n
In the filing, Kennedy Center executive director Matt Floca cited several “documented hazards” within the building, along with corrosion on the soffits around it — the underside of the building’s distinctive overhanging roof — that he claims could endanger people exiting in an emergency. Floca said the search for more structural issues continues.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Because the collection of information is ongoing and I remain concerned about the documented hazards and inability to provide safe egress at this time in light of those hazards, I will be extending the temporary closure for an additional week, until September 30, 2026, and will continue to reevaluate conditions and whether a closure remains necessary on a weekly basis,” Floca said in the filing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Christopher](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/604e4800-1fbf-419f-b2e4-c7548c0ce454\/kennedy-ctr-1-ap-gmh-260917_1789679256408_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"Christopher")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>A sign directs people away from the Kennedy Center, which has been fenced off and closed to the public, Sept. 17, 2026, in Washington.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Jacquelyn Martin\/AP Photo<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The notice comes after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper last week directed the Trump administration to provide 30 days’ notice of any changes in the Kennedy Center’s renovation plans<\/a>, “including but not limited to any ‘demolition’ of the Center’s main building.”<\/p>\n Ahead of that order, Floca said in a court filing that the current closure of the main building was only “temporary” and set to last for seven days, although it would be reevaluated on a weekly basis.<\/p>\n The legal wrangling over the future of the performing arts center has lasted for months.<\/p>\n A sign directs people away from behind the Kennedy Center, which has been fenced off and closed to the public, Sept. 17, 2026, in Washington.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Jacquelyn Martin\/AP Photo<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In May, the same judge issued an order blocking the planned two-year closure of the center for renovations.<\/p>\n The Justice Department has since asked the judge to dissolve that order so planned renovations can proceed. However, the judge has yet to rule on that motion.<\/p>\n In addition, the judge ruled that President Donald Trump’s name — which had been added to the center’s exterior after the Trump-controlled board voted last year to rename the building the “Trump-Kennedy Center” — had to come down<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cooper wrote in a decision that the center’s rebranding violated the law.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last week, Cooper issued a written order blocking any attempt to add Trump’s name to the building, concluding it violated a previous court order and congressional statute.<\/p>\n Demonstrators hold hands to form a human chain during a rally outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on September 18, 2026 in Washington, DC. Demonstrators gathered to form a human chain around the building after President Trump announced the potential closure of the facility.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Tom Brenner\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing,” Cooper wrote. “The board resolution bucks a federal court order and a statute Congress enacted.”<\/p>\n Trump has appealed Cooper’s order that the board cannot re-add Trump’s name to the building.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last week, Trump said the performing arts center could “close” or be “ripped down”<\/a> if his administration doesn’t receive recognition on the performing arts site.<\/p>\n He was later photographed looking over a placard that appeared to include the words “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED” over what appeared to be an image of a demolition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Congress\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/78113aaf-3f05-4cbf-8fcc-277ac0f661f7\/kennedy-ctr-3-ap-gmh-260917._1789679257281_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"Congress\\"")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>![\"PHOTO:](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/528eb4e2-210d-4853-8576-793344b904a4\/2295336663_1789777605323_hpMain.jpg?w=375)
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