A chunk of ceiling partially fell in the Kennedy Center's grand foyer Friday evening during stormy weather, but no one was injured. According to Roma Daravi, the center's vice president for public relations, this incident highlights the need for renovations, which President Trump's board is fighting to move forward with despite a court order blocking them. The proposed $250 million renovation would involve closing the center for two years. This partial collapse comes as part of a larger controversy surrounding Mr. Trump's efforts to renovate and rename several Washington landmarks in his own image.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
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The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but none of the 2 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
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Leaning score withheld for article 4967: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-06
A chunk of ceiling fell inside a main hallway of the Kennedy Center, which underscores the need to shut down the historic arts venue for renovations sought by President Trump, a spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → fall → Trump
No one was injured when a piece of the ceiling inside the Kennedy Center's grand foyer partially collapsed Friday evening, said Roma Daravi, the center's vice president for public relations.
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Daravi → injure → 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.
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that → provide → auditoriums
The damage occurred during stormy weather in Washington.
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damage → occur → Washington
"The reality is, the place is falling apart and @realDonaldTrump wants to fix it," Daravi said in a social media post with the photos.
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Daravi → fall → photos
"There is no legitimate reason to further halt the renovations," Daravi said in another post.
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Daravi → be → post
"The longer the delay, the worse the infrastructure gets."
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infrastructure → get → ?
CBS News reached out to Daravi for further comment.
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News → reach → comment
The Kennedy Center's Trump-aligned board is fighting in court to move forward with plans to add
and to close the center for two years as it undergoes $250 million in renovations.
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it → align → renovations
Daravi called the partial ceiling collapse Friday "another example of the urgent need to close for renovation and revitalization, as our Chairman President Trump has championed.
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Trump → call → renovation
"
"This structural failure stems from decades of neglect and deferred maintenance by the previous leadership, and there's no justification for further delays in restoring America's cultural center," Daravi said in a statement to the Associated Press.
Mr. Trump's efforts to add his name and make other big changes to the center established to honor President John F. Kennedy following his assassination are just part of Mr. Trump's broader second-term agenda to reshape Washington.
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Daravi → stem → Washington
The president has already
of the White House to make way for a ballroom.
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president → make → ballroom
He also plans a near Arlington National Cemetery.
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He → plan → Cemetery
Construction at the site is to start in the coming weeks, and the project is expected to take two to three years, with an intense , the National Park Service has said.
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Service → start → intense
A renovated golf course along the Potomac River is also in the works.
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course → renovate → works
The projects have drawn pushback from Democrats and preservation groups.
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projects → draw → Democrats
Earlier this year, one group of veterans , arguing the Trump administration lacks congressional approval to build it.
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administration → argue → it
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in May that Mr. Trump's name had been added to the Kennedy Center illegally and ordered that it be taken down.
uncertain
it → rule → Center
He also blocked the administration from closing the venue for renovations.
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He → block → renovations
Now before the judge is an August vote by the Kennedy Center's board to return Mr. Trump's name to the facade so reads: "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump."
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reads → return → Trump
Justice Department lawyers have argued donations for renovations will dry up without Mr. Trump's name on the building.
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donations → argue → building
Other changes have moved forward.
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changes → move → ?
Last week, the Kennedy Center took down a large stick figure sculpture known as Blue that had stood outside the center in 2019.
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that → take → 2019
The Kennedy Center gave no reason for its removal, but said in a statement "we are honored to have been stewards" of the late sculptor Joel Shapiro's work.
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we → give → work
Grace Terpstra of Keep the KC, a community group fighting the Kennedy Center's closure, said she suspects the board will seize on what appears to be limited ceiling damage "to make the point that the whole thing needs to be shut down, that it's going to fall on everybody."
"I think they'll try to make it into a bigger thing and show that they've found a lot of other things," said Terpstra, the group's founder.
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Terpstra → keep → things
