Trump’s Kennedy Center renovation faces two costly renovation paths

Draft plans for the Kennedy Center outline two major overhaul options: a four-year phased renovation estimated at about $560 million (well above the $257 million Congress approved) that would keep parts of the building in operation, and a second option to shutter the main building for two years with the National Symphony Orchestra relocated offsite. The REACH wing would stay open; upgrades would touch the Grand Foyer, Concert Hall, and other spaces, plus infrastructure fixes, a relocated box office, and a new cafe. About 90% of the approved $257 million would fund core work, with roughly $30 million more to raise; staff could be redeployed or reduced. A federal judge must review the closure plan, and it remains unclear how Trump’s imprint would appear in the final design.