Photos show Kennedy Center’s facade without Trump’s name

New photos have emerged showing the Kennedy Center’s facade without President Donald Trump’s name — amid an effort by the Justice Department to appeal a judge’s ruling that the performing arts center’s renaming was unlawful. 

The photos, which were first published by The Washington Post and later shared with Spectrum News by the activist group Hands Off the Arts, were taken underneath a tarp affixed to the front of the building and are the first visual confirmation that the signage on the organization’s exterior has reverted to read “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

In his decision last month, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper had set a June 12 deadline for Trump’s name to be scrubbed from the building as well as the center’s website and promotional materials. 

The following day, Kennedy Center Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Charles Matthew Floca said in a court filing that the organization had complied with the ruling, noting “weather-related delays.” 

The Trump administration is appealing Cooper’s decision and had asked a federal appeals panel to block the order from going into effect before the deadline, but was denied. 

Cooper’s ruling stemmed from a lawsuit brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, who serves as an ex-officio member on the Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees. 

On Tuesday, Beatty criticized the tarp obscuring the Kennedy Center’s facade as “an act of petty defiance” in a new motion opposing the federal government’s request for a stay in Cooper’s decision pending appeal.

“Today, President Kennedy’s name remains on the building,” Beatty’s attorneys wrote. “But the iconic letters are now obscured by a semi-permanent tarp, which appears to be Appellants’ effort to frustrate the restoration of the status quo as it existed prior to the renaming.”

A request for comment made by Spectrum News to the Kennedy Center was not immediately returned. 

In his ruling, Cooper said that the addition of Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center was unlawful, writing: “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”

The Justice Department has disputed the judgment, citing the center’s governing laws, and also argued that removing Trump’s name could hinder the performing arts institution’s fundraising efforts — and even cost the organization monetary gifts it has received. 

In a filing earlier this month, Brett Shumate, an assistant attorney general, contended that the center’s bylaws stipulated that “all monies raised or committed would be obligated to be returned, refunded, or terminated” if Trump’s name were removed. 

“Many did it because they loved the concept of two Great Presidents, one Republican, one Democrat, working together as one — In many ways, a bipartisan relationship!” he wrote of donors’ intentions. 

Attorneys for Beatty called the suggestion that donations may have to be returned “deeply concerning” in a filing Friday. 

“These asserted bylaws may not even exist,” the lawmaker’s lawyers said, adding, “To state the obvious, this scorched earth tactic—i.e., holding the trust itself hostage in a bid to violate trust’s terms—is a clear breach of fiduciary duty.”

In his May 29 order, Cooper also blocked the Kennedy Center from closing its doors for a two-year renovation starting next month.

In a status report to the court filed Friday, Shumate said that “Center management currently intends for the Center and its building to maintain an operational model past the originally planned closure date of July 5,” and he noted that the organization is continuing to allow access to public spaces. 

However, no new performances appear to be in the works. As of Tuesday afternoon, the online calendar for the performing arts center did not list any shows beyond a National Symphony Orchestra concert scheduled for Saturday. 

“The Court’s order did not affirmatively require the Board to reschedule programming that had previously been cancelled or to seek new programming,” Shumate wrote.

He added that the center’s management would present three renovation options to the organization’s board — including full, partial and phased closures — to be voted on in mid-July, and that the center was preparing for additional “capital repair and construction activities” expected to take place roughly between July and December of this year.