Update: New Protections for the Kennedy Center Issued by Judge

September 18, 2026

When Docomomo US joined a coalition of eight national preservation and architecture organizations in filing suit over the future of the Kennedy Center in March, we did so to ensure that any significant changes to this Modernist landmark would be subject to the federal preservation laws and public review processes established by Congress to protect our nation’s cultural heritage.

This week, that work resulted in an important new development.

Judge Christopher Cooper has issued an Order requiring the Kennedy Center and the federal government to provide at least 30 days’ written notice before implementing any physical work at the Kennedy Center. The order also requires the defendants to comply with their prior sworn representation that they would notify the plaintiffs and the Court if there were any change in the Board’s plans reversing its previously stated position that the building would not be demolished and that no new structure would be constructed.

This is a significant achievement for our coalition, and the public.

It allows Docomomo US and our coalition partners to engage and shape policy on an issue that matters deeply to us. As our counsel Greg Werkheiser of Cultural Heritage Partners noted, the order provides stronger protection against a situation in which demolition equipment could arrive at the site and the action be addressed only after the fact.

Additionally, on Wednesday September 16, our coalition issued a press release encouraging the Court to consider independent protections for the Kennedy Center, if the institution’s current leadership is unable or unwilling to adequately protect the building and grounds.

We are pleased with this most recent ruling and grateful to be one of the eight organizations standing together in this effort. Docomomo US is represented by an extraordinary legal team at Cultural Heritage Partners, Foley Hoag, and Lowell & Associates, whose combined expertise has allowed this coalition to bring the significance of the Kennedy Center—and the importance of the laws protecting it—before the federal court.

There are currently two separate federal lawsuits concerning the Kennedy Center, both before Judge Cooper. The case brought by Representative Joyce Beatty has received much of the recent press attention, particularly following the Center’s abrupt closure and the Administration’s statements about the future of the building. Docomomo US is not a plaintiff in that case.

Our case, DC Preservation League et al. v. Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts et al. (No. 1:26-cv-00981), filed in March by the American Institute of Architects, American Society of Landscape Architects, Committee of 100 on the Federal City, DC Preservation League, Docomomo US, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Society of Architectural Historians, and The Cultural Landscape Foundation, seeks to ensure compliance with federal historic preservation and environmental review requirements before substantial changes are made to the Kennedy Center. It is our case that Judge Cooper specifically referenced in his most recent Order requiring notice of any changes to the renovation plans, including demolition, to both our coalition and the Court.

For Docomomo US, this work is fundamentally about recognizing and protecting Modern architecture as an essential part of our shared cultural heritage. Designed by Edward Durell Stone and completed in 1971, the Kennedy Center is one of the most significant examples of Modern architecture in Washington, D.C., and its building, landscape, and setting are inseparable from its role as a national cultural institution and living memorial.

The legal process is ongoing, and there are still significant questions ahead. But this most recent order establishes an important procedural safeguard: the Court and the preservation organizations challenging the proposed changes must receive advance notice before the plans change in ways that could substantially alter the Kennedy Center—including demolition.

We will continue to keep our members and supporters informed as this case moves forward.

Read more:

• Cultural Heritage Partners: Plaintiffs Call for Independent Protection of the Kennedy Center
• Los Angeles Times: What to Know about the Kennedy Center Crisis
• Bloomberg Law: Kennedy Center Must Explain Closure as Legal Fight Escalates
• The Hill: Kennedy Center Plaintiffs Call for Resignations or Receivership
• The Daily Beast: Trump Board Offers BS Excuse for Shutting Down Landmark

 

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Tonight!

If you are in the DC area, please join in this event to show support for the Kennedy Center. You can also tune in via live stream. Details below.

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Original Post: Unprecedented Coalition of Cultural Heritage and Architecture Groups Sue to Require Federal Review of President Trump’s Kennedy Center Plans

Monday March 23, 2026

On Monday, March 23, 2026 Docomomo US joined an unprecedented coalition of cultural heritage and architecture groups filing suit to require federal review of President Trump’s Kennedy Center plans.

 

The coalition of eight leading cultural heritage and architectural organizations jointly represented by three law firms filed suit in federal district court in Washington, DC seeking to require the Trump administration to comply with historic preservation laws and secure Congressional authorization before implementing the President’s plans to further alter the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

 

The filing follows statements by President Trump that he may take the building “down to the steel” during a two-year closure beginning July 4, 2026. Plaintiffs cite the lesson learned when the President assured the American public that the East Wing of the White House would remain untouched during construction of his ballroom—and then approved its complete demolition.

 

The plaintiffs include: the American Institute of Architects; the American Society of Landscape Architects; the Committee of 100 on the Federal City; the DC Preservation League; Docomomo US; the National Trust for Historic Preservation; the Society of Architectural Historians; and The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Collectively, the organizations have more than one million members and supporters.

 

Completed in 1971, the Kennedy Center is among the most prominent cultural institutions in the United States and an iconic architectural treasure. The building and grounds have been determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, which triggers processes and protections under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

 

Because the Kennedy Center serves both as the nation’s living memorial to President Kennedy and as the United States’ principal national performing arts center, changes to the building and grounds carry cultural and symbolic significance far beyond the nation’s capital.

 

The lawsuit, and a request for a preliminary injunction that plaintiffs expect to file soon, will ask the court to halt any demolition or substantial alteration until the government completes required public review and consultation processes.

 

The complaint makes clear that plaintiffs do not challenge routine repairs and maintenance, for which Congress recently appropriated $257 million. Rather, plaintiffs seek to prevent irreversible harm to defining architectural and historic features without the process and authority required by law.

 

No plaintiff can remember an instance in which so many national and regional organizations have coalesced to defend a single historic building and its grounds, reflecting both the Kennedy Center’s significance and the breadth of concern that the administration’s approach could weaken longstanding federal protections for historic sites nationwide.

 

The case also brings together for the first time three law firms whose clients have challenged several other high-profile efforts by the administration to alter historic federal properties without following legally required review processes.

 

In November, Cultural Heritage Partners filed suit to prevent the administration from painting the historic granite façade of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building without public consultation. In December, Foley Hoag challenged plans to construct a large ballroom following demolition of the White House East Wing. In February, Lowell & Associates sued seeking to enjoin the planned redevelopment of the historic East Potomac Golf Course and the dumping of East Wing demolition debris on the site.

 

Click here to read the complaint.

 

Click here to read the press release.

 

Click here to read an FAQ.