Scoop: Inside Kennedy Center's renovation scenarios
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Earlier this month, Kennedy Center budget planners sketched out three options for its two-year renovation, including ways to keep the National Symphony Orchestra performing during construction, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The early plans — ahead of a Thursday board meeting — offer a glimpse at how President Trump's allies are contemplating undertaking a controversial two-year closure.
Driving the news: The proposal will need to pass muster with a federal judge, who blocked the center's closure and requested detailed documentation about how plans would impact the Kennedy Center's mission and finances.
Zoom in: One scenario envisions the renowned 96-year-old orchestra — a fixture at the Kennedy Center — performing at "offsite alternate venues," according to a slide deck of the budget plans obtained by Axios.
- This scenario would leave space for limited programming at the center's indoor-outdoor REACH space, while the main building undergoes construction.
- The NSO is used to touring — it'll play Gershwin at its Hollywood Bowl debut next Tuesday — and in September is scheduled to perform at DAR Constitution Hall.
Another scenario is more logistically complex. It'd keep the NSO performing inside the Kennedy Center — with a "phased" construction approach that could stretch beyond two years.
- The REACH would continue with programming and a memorial dedicated to John F. Kennedy on the Terrace Level would stay open, the plans say.
What we're hearing: The unreleased plans are laid out in a slide deck by the Kennedy Center's Audit and Finance Committee, dated Aug. 3.
- They include financial projections for the two-year renovation, with both options to keep the NSO running costing $25 million annually. A third, slimmed-down option would cost $10 million but appears to pause NSO programs.
- The cost forecasts are separate from the $250 million Trump anticipates spending on the renovation.
- As hinted in a court filing back in June, Kennedy Center management plans to present an array of options to the board of trustees, which is chaired by Trump. A board meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 10:30am, according to a copy of the agenda obtained by Axios.
What they're saying: "A comprehensive, nearly 200-page document encompassing independent, third-party analysis, was provided to the full Board for review ahead of the upcoming meeting where renovation discussions will take place," a Kennedy Center spokesperson told Axios on Tuesday afternoon.
What's ahead: The plans will need to satisfy U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who also wants an explanation for why a tarp is obscuring the Kennedy Center name.