Kennedy Center Claims Tarps Are Necessary For ‘Ongoing Construction’—But Offers No Timeline For Removal

BreakingBusinessKennedy Center Claims Tarps Are Necessary For ‘Ongoing Construction’—But Offers No Timeline For RemovalByConor Murray,Forbes Staff. Murray is a Forbes news reporter covering entertainment trends.Follow AuthorAug 19, 2026, 10:57am EDTToplineThe Kennedy Center told a federal court it has kept up a tarp in front of the venue’s facade for more than two months for “ongoing construction,” but it did not say how long it is expected to stay standing, prompting a rebuke from plaintiff Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, who accused the center of a “childish refusal to accept this Court’s ruling” to remove President Donald Trump’s name.A tarp still blocks much of the Kennedy Center's sign. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesKey FactsThe Kennedy Center and Beatty filed a joint status report late Tuesday to comply with a court order, which asked the Kennedy Center to inform the court about its future plans for construction and operations, as well as the status of the tarp and scaffolding in front of the venue. The Kennedy Center claimed the tarps are “necessary” for construction including “structural repairs to the overhead soffit,” which the center says will “enable further repairs to be made while minimizing delay, public disruption, and cost redundancies.”The venue did not offer any timeline for removal of the tarps and said taking them down is “contingent upon the scope of any repairs required at present to the marble facade.”Beatty said the Kennedy Center’s justification for keeping up the tarps makes “no sense” because the soffits are about 20 feet above the scaffolding, noting the tarp leaves “only the Center’s iconic name obscured,” a “strong indication” the tarps were solely placed there to “defy a return to the status quo.”Beatty said the tarps defeat Congress’ order that the Kennedy Center serve as a memorial to former President John F. Kennedy, also requesting the court to order the venue to explain why it cannot remo...