Kennedy Center could close as early as Tuesday amid bankruptcy warning
The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., could close as early as Tuesday, 15 September, after officials warned of bankruptcy.
Internal documents cited in reporting published on 14 September point to a cash crisis at the national performing arts organisation. No final decision has been announced.
The Washington Post reported the possible Tuesday closure, citing documents that warn of bankruptcy. The New York Times reported that officials warned in the papers of “certain fiscal collapse within weeks”. Board members are recommending that the main building be closed immediately because of costs, according to Al Jazeera, which cited the Post’s reporting.
Reuters also reported on 13 September that the centre was on the brink of bankruptcy and could close as early as Tuesday, citing the Post. A local broadcaster, WUSA9, carried the same warning and credited the Post’s reporting on the board.
The warning sits alongside a separate, longer-running plan for a two-year renovation closure backed by President Donald Trump. The Times reported that Trump described the building as “dilapidated” when announcing that plan. Under that proposal, first outlined in February, entertainment operations would stop for two years, with closure tied to 4 July, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
That renovation proposal has been debated for months. The board was due to vote in March on closing for works starting on 6 July. In April, the centre argued the two-year closure was crucial, while critics said the plan followed declining attendance and artists withdrawing from the programme.
Other disputes have added to the uncertainty. The board voted to inscribe Trump’s name on the building, the Times reported in August. Later that month, lawyers for Trump warned that without proper renovation the building might need demolition or to be “taken down”.
For ticket holders, this means two different closures are now in play. One is the proposed two-year renovation shutdown. The other is a much faster shutdown driven by money, with ARTnews describing the future as uncertain and imminent closure as possible.
