Photos show the history of the Kennedy Center, which now features Trump's name on the facade

By Talia Lakritz

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Originally named the National Cultural Center, the act authorized the construction of the building and established it as an independent institution with a mission to host arts and culture events, as well as educational programming.

Kennedy Onassis and Mamie Eisenhower served as honorary co-chairwomen of the project.

President Lyndon Johnson signed the John F. Kennedy Center Act in January 1964 to change the name and provide $23 million in federal funds for its construction.

After signing the bill, Johnson handed the pen to Edward Kennedy, John F. Kennedy's brother.

"As this center comes to reflect and advance the greatness of America, consider then those glories were purchased by a valiant leader who never swerved from duty — John Kennedy. And in his name I dedicate this site," Johnson said at the groundbreaking ceremony, held in December 1964.

Designed by architect Edward Durell Stone, the Kennedy Center was built on the banks of the Potomac River using 3,700 tons of marble gifted to the US from Italy.

For its opening event, the Kennedy Center hosted a performance of "Mass" by Leonard Bernstein, which was commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

The first Kennedy Center honorees included Fred Astaire, Marian Anderson, George Balanchine, Arthur Rubinstein, and Richard Rodgers.

Beyoncé brought the Kennedy Center to its feet with a fiery tribute to Tina Turner in 2005, and President Barack Obama shed tears while watching Aretha Franklin perform "Natural Woman" to honor Carole King in 2015.

Trump did not attend the Kennedy Center Honors during his first term, but has taken a much more active role in shaping the institution in his second non-consecutive term.

After taking office earlier this year, he fired the president and Biden-appointed members of the Kennedy Center's board of trustees, replacing them with allies and members of his administration. The board went on to elect Trump as its chairman.

While visiting the performance venue in March, Trump told board members that the building was in "bad shape" and said he planned to renovate the space.

"We're going to make a lot of changes, including the seats, the décor, pretty much everything needs a lot of work," he said.

At the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, held on December 7, honorees received newly designed medallions from Tiffany, featuring blue ribbons instead of the traditional rainbow colors.

On Thursday, the White House announced that the board had "unanimously" voted to change the name from the Kennedy Center to the Trump Kennedy Center, and the website was updated to reflect the change.

Trump's name was added to the building's signage on Friday, reading "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."

"The unanimous vote recognizes that the current Chairman saved the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction," Roma Daravi, the center's vice president of public relations, said in a statement to Business Insider. "The new Trump Kennedy Center reflects the unequivocal bipartisan support for America's cultural center for generations to come."

Trump said he was "honored," while Democratic lawmakers and members of the Kennedy family criticized the president.

Kennedy's grandson, Jack Schlossberg, contested the White House's claim of a unanimous vote, writing on X that "microphones were muted and the board meeting and vote NOT unanimous," while Kennedy's niece, Maria Shriver, wrote on X that the change is not acceptable.

Six Democratic lawmakers said in a statement that Trump was "attempting to affix his name to yet another public institution without legal authority."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.