President Donald Trump has been sued over his plans to renovate the Kennedy Center.
A coalition of eight leading architecture and historic-preservation organizations sued Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C.
The lawsuit asks the court to pause “any further work” and to require Trump to obtain congressional approval to undertake the renovation in line with historic preservation laws.
The coalition—made up of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Institute of Architects, the DC Preservation League, and the American Society of Landscape Architects—plans to seek a preliminary injunction to halt any demolition or major alteration of the structure until all requirements are met.
The lawsuit also argues that unlawful changes may already be underway before any larger demolition begins. It says the White House has altered key features of the Kennedy Center by repainting the exterior columns white and adding Trump’s name to the facade without approval.
“The Kennedy Center is not a personal project of any president. It is a national cultural monument built to honor John F. Kennedy and to serve the American people,” Rebecca Miller, executive director of the DC Preservation League, told The Washington Post. “Federal law requires transparency, expert review and public participation before it can be fundamentally altered.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Trump’s Kennedy Center plan involves a major two-year renovation and shutdown of the performing arts center, approved by its Trump-aligned board.
The reported price tag has ranged from about $200 million to $257 million.
The project has already seen Trump rename the building after himself. The building now reads, “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
Trump also appointed allies to the Kennedy Center board, which he says voted “unanimously” to rename the institution.
That decision is now being challenged in court by Rep. Joyce Beatty, 75, a Democratic ex officio trustee. She argues that the board’s Dec. 18 vote to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was invalid because only Congress, not the trustees, has the legal authority to change the name set in statute.
Her lawsuit asks the court to stop the planned shutdown, block any demolition or renovation, and prevent employee terminations and performance cancellations.
In a statement released by the Washington Litigation Group, Beatty said: “This entire process has been a complete disgrace to this cherished institution and the people it serves. These unlawful actions must be blocked before any further damage is done.”
Members of the Kennedy family have also objected to Trump putting his name on the 54-year-old memorial to the slain president. Maria Shriver, Kennedy’s niece, called the renaming campaign “obsessive.”
