Kennedy Center board votes to close after judge again blocks efforts to add Trump name to it | CBC News

Judge rules no one can add memorials for Trump or anyone else without Congressional approval

The board of the Kennedy Center voted on Tuesday to close over financial issues and a dispute over putting President Donald Trump's name on the iconic performing arts venue, the president confirmed on social media Tuesday.

"The closing will take place immediately," he wrote, "however the Renovation and Reconstruction, which is a very large and complex job, cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board's approved name."

He adds that if the ruling is "a negative one," the renovation will not take place.

Trump's post followed an earlier ruling by a federal judge who blocked the Kennedy Center from returning Trump's name to the performing arts venue, saying it would violate an earlier ruling that his name was illegally added to the building when an inscription on the facade was approved that acknowledged his role in renovating and restoring the building.

Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that, "Simply put, defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress's blessing."

Kennedy Center board votes to return Trump's name to building, continue with 2-year closure

The Trump-aligned board at the Kennedy Center voted in August to inscribe the president's name on the venue's facade so it would read "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts restored and renovated by President Donald J. Trump."

And if the Trump Kennedy Center Fund reached $100 million US, it had voted for another inscription to be added reading: "Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund."

The plaza in front of the Kennedy Center would have also been renamed in Trump's honour, as part of the board's vote.

Tuesday's developments left uncertain the fate of one of the nation's most prominent cultural institutions, where presidents, lawmakers and celebrities across the political spectrum have gathered for decades to recognize and celebrate the best in American arts and culture.

The venue's leaders have argued that the massive building, which began construction in 1965, was in dire need of renovations. A partial ceiling collapse in the building's main hallway earlier this month intensified those calls.