Cultural groups urge federal judge to block Kennedy Center renovations

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of cultural and historic preservation organizations pressed a federal judge Wednesday to block President Donald Trump from making major renovations to the Kennedy Center, the art and cultural venue that has seen rapid transformation since the president returned to office last year.

The groups want U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper to issue a preliminary injunction that would halt any construction ahead of the July 6 start date, saying they worry the president and board of trustees will flout historic preservation rules that seek to maintain the building, which draws millions of visitors every year.

The laws that govern the process “go to the very fundamental question of: Do we slow down and take stock before we make changes to properties that define the American experience?” attorney Greg Werkheiser said in an interview after the hearing.

Justice Department attorneys, representing the president and board, argued Wednesday that plans for the building are limited in scope and well within the authority of the board, not requiring extra approvals.

Since returning to office last year, Trump has taken particular interest in the Kennedy Center. He ousted its previous leadership and replaced it with a handpicked board that named him chairman, changes that prompted an outcry from many artists and exacerbated the operation’s financial challenges. Trump, whose name was later added to the building’s facade, announced the renovations earlier this year.

Besides being a premier arts and cultural destination, the Kennedy Center is considered a “living monument” to President John F. Kennedy, who raised millions to build the center but was assassinated before it opened. Perched on the Potomac River, the massive structure and gleaming white marble facade form an indelible part of the Washington, D.C., landscape.

The hearing is the second in as many days over the fate of the Kennedy Center. Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio, has also sued to stop renovations as an ex officio member of the board. Cooper, the judge, is also overseeing that lawsuit. For the second day in a row, the judge's evenhanded scrutiny of both sides made it difficult to discern how he might rule.

In testimony, executive director Matt Floca, a former facilities manager who was elevated by the Trump-aligned board, said the renovations planned are merely to repair decades of wear and tear, including extensive water damage to a part of the building that was nicknamed “the swamp.”

“The most efficient and effective way to complete the magnitude of projects we need to complete is to close the center,” Floca said.

Attorneys for the preservation groups raised doubts about the limited scope of the project, pointing to Trump's statements that he would “fully expose” the building's steel skeleton.

Yaakov Roth, a Justice Department attorney representing the president, said those fears are overblown.

“There’s no risk that there will be unilateral changes … that we’ll wake up and the building will be gone,” Roth said.

The lawsuits over the Kennedy Center represent another fight over Trump's efforts to leave a lasting imprint on the nation's capital. Since he took office last year, the former Manhattan construction mogul has angered preservationists by paving over the White House’s historic Rose Garden. In October, the White House tore down its East Wing to make room for a $400 million ballroom.

Besides the Kennedy Center building, the president also added his name to the United States Institute of Peace. Trump also wants to move forward with plans to build a 250-foot “triumphal arch.”