Kennedy Center renews call for Trump-backed shutdown after part of a ceiling collapses

Photo: “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” – June 26, 2026 by Gage Skidmore via Flickr. CC BY-SA 4.0 (no modifications). Article by Steven Sloan, Gary Fields and Russ Bynum. AP News – September 5, 2026.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A chunk of ceiling fell inside a main hallway of the Kennedy Center, according to a spokesperson who said the damage underscores the need to shut down the historic arts venue for renovations sought by President Donald Trump. No one was injured when a piece of the ceiling inside the Kennedy Center’s grand foyer collapsed Friday evening, said Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president for public relations. Photos provided by the center showed a large hole in the high ceiling and debris littering the red carpet in part of the hallway that connects the Kennedy Center’s three main performance auditoriums. The damage occurred during stormy weather in Washington. […]

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