Kennedy Center could close today. This Trump ally has big ideas.
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The Kennedy Center says it's crumbling and teetering toward bankruptcy. But a President Trump ally sees something else entirely: a chance to turn it into a glammed-up, luxurious cultural destination.
Why it matters: Trump-appointed board members will push during a Tuesday meeting to start a controversial two-year renovation while again trying to put Trump's name on the building.
Axios previously reported the renovation would address urgent issues, including corrosion, and would rehab its iconic theaters and Grand Foyer.
- "First, we have to make it safe," says board member Paolo Zampolli, a former New York real estate exec who eons ago introduced Trump to Melania.
Driving the news: New documents show several options the board will consider to recognize Trump, including: "Renovation and endowment overseen by President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Kennedy Center Fund."
- Without his name on the building, "it is unlikely" that Trump will support its renovation, including his offer to "step in and raise the necessary funds to keep the Center from bankruptcy," a draft board resolution says.
But that's not all: Zampolli has more on his mind.
- Why not, for instance, build a marina to draw yacht owners?
- Or expand its outdoor park and connect the Kennedy Center to … Roosevelt Island, which Zampolli would like to see become a "concert hub."
- Plus, to "turn it into a destination," the Kennedy Center needs "excellent food and beverage," he says.
Zampolli has floated these ideas before, and he's sticking to them, including adding a Cipriani, the luxury hotel and club proprietor from his native Italy.
- "I'm very close to the owner," Zampolli says.
Reality check: Those ideas aren't part of the renovation plan now before the board, and who knows if they'll go anywhere.
- But we've seen a Trump-appointed board member push a big D.C.-area makeover before: Trent Morse has been on a mission to get rid of the people movers at Dulles Airport, and he's made quite a bit of progress.
"The most important thing is, we want to get the [renovation] done," Zampolli says, and his flourishes can make the place into a "diamond."