Part of ceiling collapses inside Washington’s Kennedy Center

Part of the ceiling in the main lobby of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington collapsed on the evening of September 4, the Associated Press (AP) reports.

A large hole opened in the high ceiling, sending debris onto the red carpet in the corridor connecting the center’s three main halls. The collapse occurred during a severe thunderstorm.

No one was injured. However, the center’s management said the incident once again underscored the need for a major renovation of the building.

Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president for public relations, called the collapse “another example” of the consequences of years of inadequate maintenance and deferred repairs. 

“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.

The center’s board, which supports US President Donald Trump’s initiative, is seeking to close the facility for two years for a $250 million renovation.

Activists opposing the renovation believe the center’s management could use the incident to justify a complete closure of the facility. 

“I think they’ll try to make it into a bigger thing and show that they’ve found a lot of other things,” said Grace Terpstra, founder of the Keep the KC group.

Last week, a large sculpture titled Blue by artist Joel Shapiro, which had been installed at the center in 2019, was also removed from the premises.

By Jeyhun Aghazada