Preservation groups sue over Kennedy Center plan

Eight architecture and preservation organizations filed suit on March 23, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, assigned case no. 1:26‑cv‑00981. (clearinghouse.net) The complaint names the American Institute of Architects, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Committee of 100 on the Federal City, the DC Preservation League, Docomomo US, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Society of Architectural Historians, and The Cultural Landscape Foundation, which the AIA says together represent more than one million members and supporters. (aia.org) Plaintiffs allege multiple statutory violations, including the failure to conduct required Section 106 review under the National Historic Preservation Act and the failure to perform environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act, and assert the Board lacks congressional authority for the proposed scope of work. (clearinghouse.net) The filing seeks declaratory and injunctive relief and says plaintiffs will promptly move for a preliminary injunction to halt any demolition or substantial alteration until the government completes required public review and consultation processes. (aia.org) The suit responds to an administration announcement that the Kennedy Center would close beginning July 4, 2026 for approximately two years for major structural work and quotes President Trump saying he might take the building “down to the steel.” (aia.org) Plaintiffs note Congress appropriated $257 million for routine repairs, but say that appropriation does not authorize a wholesale “complete rebuilding.” (aia.org) The complaint alleges the administration has already made unauthorized physical changes — including repainting the Center’s original gold columns white and adding President Trump’s name above Kennedy’s on the façade — and cites the October demolition of the White House East Wing as part of a pattern. (clearinghouse.net) The coalition is jointly represented by Foley Hoag, Cultural Heritage Partners, and Lowell & Associates, and the docket and complaint are publicly available through litigation archives as the court prepares to consider any preliminary‑injunction motion. (law.com)