Kennedy Center officials halted funded roof repairs before citing safety crisis, whistleblowers allege

Former Kennedy Center employees have told Congress that the venue's leadership canceled a funded plan to fix known roof leaks earlier this year — and then, months later, cited structural hazards to justify closing the building indefinitely.

In a letter sent Thursday to Congress, attorney David Seide — representing anonymous whistleblowers — alleged that executive director and chief operating officer Matt Floca did not treat roofing problems as priorities and in April halted a funded procurement plan to address them. Seide included internal documents he said challenged the Kennedy Center board's claims that the leaks constituted an emergency requiring immediate closure.

The timing is pointed: just one day before the letter, Floca filed a court declaration extending the main building's closure by another week — to September 30, 2026 — and gave no indication when it might reopen.

Because the collection of information is ongoing and I remain concerned about the documented hazards and inability to provide safe egress at this time in light of those hazards, I will be extending the temporary closure for an additional week, until September 30, 2026, and will continue to reevaluate conditions and whether a closure remains necessary on a weekly basis.— Matt Floca, Executive Director and COO, Kennedy Center

In that same filing, Floca cited several 'documented hazards' inside the building and corrosion on the soffits — the underside of the building's distinctive overhanging roof — which he said could endanger people trying to exit in an emergency. He said the search for additional structural problems is ongoing, according to ABC News.

Center officials have disputed the whistleblowers' account, arguing that newer engineering assessments revealed deterioration more advanced than previously documented. The whistleblowers counter that the funded repair plan was canceled before those assessments — undermining the claim that the closure was driven purely by newly discovered dangers.

The allegations arrive in the middle of a prolonged legal battle over the center's future. In May, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked a planned two-year closure for renovations. The Justice Department has since asked him to dissolve that order so renovations can proceed; the judge has not yet ruled. Last week, Cooper also directed the Trump administration to give 30 days' notice before any changes to renovation plans, 'including but not limited to any demolition of the Center's main building,' according to ABC News.

The court fight has extended to the building's name. Cooper ruled that the board's decision to rename the venue the 'Trump-Kennedy Center' violated federal law and a previous court order, and last week blocked any attempt to re-add Trump's name to the building. Trump has appealed that ruling. Last week Trump said the center could 'close' or be 'ripped down' if his administration does not receive recognition at the site, and was later photographed examining what appeared to be a placard reading 'Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED' over an image of a demolition, according to ABC News.

Thursday's letter is not the first time former employees have raised alarms. Earlier whistleblower reports criticized what they described as rushed or substandard work on columns, a reflecting pool, and other projects tied to political events, according to the New York Times. The latest allegations are now under congressional scrutiny alongside the center's broader renovation program.

Why it matters — The allegations raise questions about whether a federally funded cultural institution was closed for safety reasons that its own leadership had the money — and the warning — to prevent.

Sources differ on Whether the structural hazards justifying closure were newly discovered or previously known and deferred: Whistleblowers say Floca canceled a funded repair plan in April, contradicting claims of an acute, newly discovered emergency. (thehill.com / pbs.org / nytimes.com) vs Center officials say June–July 2026 engineering assessments revealed deterioration more advanced than previously documented, and a ceiling collapse added urgency. (nytimes.com)

Reported by thehill.com, pbs.org, abcnews.com, nytimes.com