Trump administration threatens to demolish Kennedy Center if 2-year closure isn't allowed

The Trump administration is threatening to demolish the Kennedy Center if the arts institution isn't permitted to close for two years for renovations. 

Justice Department attorney Brantley T. Mayers wrote in a court filing on Monday that the building is in "terrible trouble," and without the Trump administration and President Donald Trump, the "Center cannot survive." 

"The building has become dangerously dilapidated, outdated, and decrepit. It is structurally unsound, fundamentally unsafe, and embarrassing to the Nation’s Capital," Mayers wrote. 

Mayers went on to say that, without renovation efforts to address the problems, "the Center will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down, with a determination to follow on what to build on the site, such as a large outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River that has been proposed, by some, for many years." 

Such a structure, Mayers wrote, wouldn't properly honor President John F. Kennedy, but it would be cheaper to build, operate and maintain. 

The months-long effort to renovate the historic arts institution has faced multiple legal challenges and criticism, NBC News reported. The language in the filing departs from how the renovations have been described by Kennedy Center Executive Director Matt Floca. 

Floca said the renovations would include "total replacement of stage lifts and rigging systems” and wide-ranging electrical work and leak prevention. These projects could be completed within two years, if the facility was closed, Floca said, but he didn't suggest that absent the efforts, the site would be razed.