AIA sues Donald Trump over Kennedy Center renovation in unprecedented coalition

Magazine Awards Jobs Events Guide Showroom School Shows Courses Competitions Follow: Architecture Interiors Design Technology Series Features Interviews Opinion News Lookbooks Talks Videos Podcasts About Comments Newsletters Preferences Submit a story Advertise Privacy notice Contact Dezeen Magazine dezeen-logo dezeen-logo Next story clear Search –> –> Follow: Awards Jobs Events Guide Showroom School Shows Courses Competitions Series Interviews Opinion Talks Videos Newsletters Magazine Architecture Interiors Design Technology –> Search results: Read more: Posts: –> Refine your search: Cats AIA sues Donald Trump over Kennedy Center renovation in unprecedented coalition Share: Ben Dreith | 23 March 2026 Leave a comment US organisations the American Institute of Architects and Docomomo US are among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit suing US president Donald Trump over his proposed renovations for the Edward Durell Stone-designed Kennedy Center.
Eight plaintiffs submitted a lawsuit this morning in an attempt to pause proposed renovations to the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.
The plaintiffs include the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Docomomo US , t he Cultural Landscape Foundation , the American Society of Landscape Architects , the Committee of 100 on the Federal City , DC Preservation League , the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Society of Architectural Historians .
Unprecedented coalition of preservationists
According to the group of plaintiffs, the lawsuit represents one of the largest legal coalitions of preservation bodies in history.
“No plaintiff can remember an instance in which so many national and regional organisations have coalesced to defend a single historic building and its grounds, reflecting both the Kennedy Center’s significance and the breadth of concern that the administration’s approach could weaken longstanding federal protections for historic sites nationwide,” said the plaintiffs.
Named as defendants in the lawsuit are president Donald Trump in his capacity as chair of the Board of Trustees of the Kennedy Centre, the Smithsonian Institute, the National Capital Planning Commission, as well as other government organisations and officials.
“It’s not about the president’s tastes. It’s about the rule of law”
The lawsuit contends that the administration must adhere to the processes in the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Protection Act before proceeding with planned renovations to the centre.
Given this, the plaintiffs demand that proper review and authorisations by congressional officials should precede any renovations. The lawsuit, if successful, would halt work on the structure until such authorisations and associated public reviews are completed.
“The Trump administration appears to believe that they can skip those federal requirements and go right to alterations,” attorney and co-founder of Cultural Heritage Partners Greg Werkheiser told Dezeen.
Cultural Heritage Partners is one of the law firms representing the plaintiffs, along with Foley Hoag and Lowell & Associates, all of which have open cases against the administration relating to other preservation issues, such as the Eisenhower Executive Office Building , the East Wing expansion , and the East Potomac Golf Links.
“Each of these cases is not about the politics,” said Werkheiser. “It’s not about the president’s tastes, whether good or bad. It’s about the rule of law and doing what Congress intended.”
Last week, the board voted to close the centre for years for renovations after voting to add Trump’s name to the centre, which was built in 1971.
On 13 March, president Trump released renderings on his Truth Social account , showing a building structurally akin to the current modernist building. In the post, the president said that the steel and some of the existing marble of the building would be maintained, saying, “I’m not ripping it down.”
Werkheiser said that the