President Donald Trump’s handpicked board of the Kennedy Center has voted a second time to close the performing arts institution for renovations, according to two people who were briefed on the decision.
The board also voted to add an inscription below the Kennedy Center’s sign, saying the arts complex was “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump,” the sources said.
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, they added.
The historic arts center has been in legal limbo and faced drama for much of the year as the Kennedy Center’s abrupt decision to close for a two-year renovation drew scrutiny and after the president attempted to rename the institution after himself.
Trump had announced plans earlier in the year to close the center, which he said was “in bad condition” as he has made reshaping the Washington institution a priority in his second term. In December, the board of trustees voted to rename it the Trump Kennedy Center.
