President Donald Trump’s handpicked John F. Kennedy Center board has voted a second time to close the performing arts institution for renovations, according to a person who was briefed on the decision.
As part of the renovation plan, the board voted to keep open part of the complex separate from the main building, called the REACH, which will host smaller scale shows.
The historic arts center has been in legal limbo and faced drama for much of the summer, after the institution’s abrupt decision to close in July for a two-year renovation drew scrutiny and a legal challenge.
In May, a federal judge blocked the center’s plans to close and demanded the board consider maintaining some programming during renovations. If the Kennedy Center closed completely, US District Judge Casey Cooper in Washington, DC ruled, it would not be able to carry out its congressionally mandated activities.
CNN has reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment.
