A group of preservation and architectural organizations are suing the Trump Administration in an attempt to block any further physical changes from being made to the Kennedy Center.
President Donald Trump (R) has indicated that he believes it is necessary to shut down the performing arts center for two years in order to make a series of renovations.
According to reports from the Associated Press, the lawsuit does not challenge the need for routine maintenance, but rather it takes aim at the more substantial alterations alluded to by the Trump Administration.
The plaintiffs argue that any such updates would be required to go through the standard review process governing most major construction projects taking place in Washington, D.C.
“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.
White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement shared by the Associated Press that President Trump is “committed to making the Trump-Kennedy Center the finest performing arts facility in the world.”
“We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue,” she added.
A representative for the Kennedy Center reportedly did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the outlet.
As a result of this lawsuit, the challengers are calling for the court to require compliance reviews by the National Capital Planning Commission, as well as the Commission of Fine Arts, and for any unreviewed or noncompliant alterations to be blocked.
Click Here to Read the Full Complaint
Some of the lawyers involved in this case also participated in a now-rejected attempt to sue the Trump Administration for its decision last year to suddenly knock down the East Wing of the White House as part of the plan to construct a ballroom.
Last month, a judge found that this suit was unlikely to succeed on its merits.
[RELATED: Sen. Angus King Joins Colleagues on Amicus Brief Challenging President Trump’s “Independence Arch”]
The Trump Administration has also recently been challenged over its plans to construct a 250-foot commemorative arch across from the Lincoln Memorial.
The president announced his intention to pursue building “Independence Arch” during an October gathering at the White House for those who provided financial support to the $400 million ballroom project.
“We really need it,” President Trump said of the arch. “The United States is the greatest and most powerful nation on earth, and American presidents need to be able to host events at the White House that reflect the demands of the time, and that can… carry out the prestige of what we’re all doing.”
Maine’s Sen. Angus King joined an amicus brief in support of the challengers in this case alongside a number of his democratic colleagues, referring to the president’s plan to construct Independence Arch as an “impulsive, unilateral decision.”
“Permitting that Arch to be built without appropriate congressional authorization and review could lead to the unchecked proliferation of monuments, the erosion of public space, and serious constraints on future generations’ ability to memorialize their own losses and achievements,” the brief argued.
“Washington, D.C., is not the President’s backyard to renovate, relandscape, and build in as he sees fit,” they said.
The White House has pushed back on these concerns, focusing instead on the merits of the project itself.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in remarks shared with national news outlets that the arch would be “one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world.”
“It will enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, the families of the fallen, and all Americans alike, serving as a visual reminder of the noble sacrifices borne by so many American heroes throughout our 250-year history so we can enjoy our freedoms today,” Ingle said.
