Kennedy Center ceiling partially collapses as Trump-led board pushes for 2-year closure

Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations for the Kennedy Center, said the collapse underscored the need to close the building for renovations.

The center's board, which is led by Trump, voted in August to close the building for two years.

This came after a judge ruled in May that Trump's name must come off the building months after the board voted to name it: "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."

"Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into 'NEVER NEVER LAND,'" Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. "Therefore, based on the fact that the Radical Left Democrats care more about opposing your favorite President, ME, than saving a dying Performing Arts Center, almost all of which lose large amounts of money throughout the Country, we are going to be working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them so they can make a determination as to what to do with it."

The board remains in court fighting to move forward with the name changes, as well as the closure and $250 million in renovations.

She added, "I think they'll try to make it into a bigger thing and show that they've found a lot of other things."

Last week, the center did remove a piece of modern artwork called "Blue" that has been outside the building since 2019, saying in a statement, "we are honored to have been stewards" of the late sculptor Joel Shapiro's work.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.