The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., could be demolished if it is not allowed to proceed with renovations.
In a filing submitted to the federal court on Monday, attorneys from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said the performing arts venue is in "serious trouble" and "cannot survive, structurally or financially," without the help of the president or his administration.
"Without those efforts, the Center will continue to deteriorate into an unsafe, dilapidated structure and will have to be demolished," the filing stated.
According to the DOJ document, if the building were torn down, an outdoor theater overlooking the Potomac River could be constructed in its place. The attorneys argued that this alternative—which they acknowledged would not "adequately honor" the name of the building, named after the late President John F. Kennedy—would be "simpler and more cost-effective."
The news, seen as the most aggressive action against the center since Mr. Trump took control of the site after returning to the White House for a second term in 2025, was part of the administration's response to efforts to block the inscription of his name on the building.
Representative Joyce Beatty, a Democrat serving on the Kennedy Center's board of trustees through her congressional leadership role, filed a lawsuit after Trump-appointed board members voted 20-3 to add the phrase "restored and renovated by President Donald J. Trump" beneath the existing sign. Earlier, the board had renamed the center after Trump before a judge ordered his name removed from the building's facade.
Any decision to demolish the Kennedy Center—a historic structure that opened in 1971 to honor the assassinated president—would likely face fierce opposition from preservation groups and those opposed to Mr. Trump's changes at the site.
Norm Eisen, one of Ms. Beatty's attorneys, criticized the administration for considering demolition and vowed a legal response.
"The administration is threatening in federal court that they will RAZE the Kennedy Center if Trump doesn't get what he wants," Eisen wrote on the X platform on Tuesday. "His destructive path is limitless, and he will have to answer in court."
The DOJ attorneys also argued why renovation should be permitted, stating in the filing that the structure is "structurally unsound, essentially unsafe, and an embarrassment to the Nation's Capital."
Earlier this year, Kennedy Center CEO Matt Floca said in a legal filing that renovation would include "replacement of all stage lift and rigging systems," along with electrical upgrades and waterproofing.
Mr. Trump announced in February that he would close the building for two years for renovation before a judge blocked the move, calling the board's earlier vote favoring it "uninformed and seemingly predetermined." Earlier this month, the board voted to proceed with the closure.
The White House did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment.
