“Without those efforts, the Center will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down, with a determination to follow on what to build on the site, such as a large outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River that has been proposed, by some, for many years,” the lawyers wrote.
The lawyers added that “such a replacement will fail to adequately honor President John F. Kennedy, but would be simpler and more economical to build, operate, and maintain.”
It appears to be the first explicit warning from Trump’s allies of potential demolition of the storied venue, which first opened its doors in 1971 in honor of the assassinated former President Kennedy. The venue, however, has undergone various updates, repairs, and expansions.
How Trump’s Ballroom Went From a State of Renovation to Threats of Demolition
At the start of Trump’s second term, he overhauled the center’s governing board and packed it with allies. That board voted in December last year to rename the venue as the “Trump Kennedy Center.” In February, he also ordered the center to close for two years to make way for renovations.