Trump sued by historic preservation groups to block Kennedy Center changes

WASHINGTON (AP) — A coalition of cultural and historic preservation groups is suing to block further physical changes to the Kennedy Center ahead of a two-year closure that President Donald Trump insists is necessary to renovate the prominent performing arts venue.

The lawsuit against Trump, the Kennedy Center and others in the administration, doesn’t dispute the need for routine maintenance and repairs. But it argues that the more substantial changes Trump has hinted are in the works should go through the typical review process that governs many major projects in the nation’s capital.

Trump has suggested changes at the Kennedy Center could be so dramatic that the steel supporting the structure could be “ fully exposed.”

“Demolition, new construction, major reconstruction, major renovation, or major aesthetic transformation of the Kennedy Center would permanently destroy historic fabric, degrade the monumental core’s vistas and public grounds, and compromise the Kennedy Center’s memorial purpose and architectural integrity, causing permanent, irreversible harm that no subsequent remedy can fully undo,” the suit argues.

Representatives for the White House and Kennedy Center didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Some of the lawyers involved in Monday’s lawsuit have pursued separate legal cases challenging other moves by Trump to alter Washington’s historic core, including his decision last year to suddenly knock down the East Wing of the White House to make way for a ballroom. In the Kennedy Center suit, the lawyers pointed to a “broader pattern of unauthorized damage to historic buildings in the capital district.”

A judge rejected the ballroom suit last month, ruling it was unlikely to succeed on the merits.

After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a hand-picked board of trustees that named him chairman. He brought in Richard Grenell to serve as president, a position he held until last week when Matt Floca assumed the role.

The center’s lineup has included more Trump-friendly programming, serving as the venue for events such as the premiere of first lady Melania Trump’s documentary, “Melania.”

The board also announced it had renamed the facility the Trump Kennedy Center, a change scholars and lawmakers say must be initiated by Congress, and physically added the president’s name to the building’s facade.

The fallout from the arts community was swift and intense. Actor Issa Rae, musician Bela Fleck and author Louise Penny were among the numerous artists who withdrew from appearances, while consultants such as musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Earlier this month, the executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, Jean Davidson, left to head the Los Angeles-based Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.