Former Kennedy Center employees allege officials halted repairs months before building closure

WASHINGTON, DC: Former employees of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have accused the institution’s leadership of halting planned repairs to leaking infrastructure months before the officials even cited the leaks as an urgent safety concern requiring the main building to close.

In a letter to Congress on Thursday, September 24, attorney David Seide, representing the former employees, submitted internal documents and challenged the Kennedy Center’s account of the deterioration. Kennedy Center Executive Director Matt Floca disputed the allegations, saying officials had only recently discovered how extensive the damage had become.

Former employees say planned repairs were halted despite federal funding

Seide’s letter to Congress stated the water-intrusion problems cited by Kennedy Center officials had been known for years but were not previously treated as an immediate safety priority. He said that the center had received $9.3 million in federal funding for roofing issues and that Floca had approved $295,000 for a firm to design replacement roof overhangs.

According to the letter, the repair process was canceled in April at Floca’s direction. Seide said that the documents even showed that officials had the funding available but stopped the remediation process from moving forward.

“In sum, the evidence shows that the New Problems were in fact well known, were not considered to be high priorities and that millions in taxpayer funds were set aside more than a year ago to address them,” Seide wrote.

The allegations were submitted to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Seide has also called on Congress to investigate further.

The Kennedy Center has maintained that the more serious problems became apparent in recent months. In a statement on Friday, September 25, Floca disputed that account, saying that officials had long known about leaks in the roof overhang but did not know until this summer how extensively the damage had spread inside the building.

“The safety of our patrons, artists, and staff comes first,” Floca said. “The Kennedy Center has known for years that the roof overhang leaked. What we did not know until this summer was how far the damage had spread inside it.”

Floca also said the earlier repair plan was delayed after a contractor’s bid came in more than $500,000 above the projected cost. He said the work is now incorporated into a broader development plan. “That was a change in the approach to procuring and delivering the work, not a determination that the work was unnecessary,” Floca said.

Closure follows broader dispute over Kennedy Center renovations

The allegations are raised after the Kennedy Center temporarily closed its main building last week, with officials citing what they described as “acute risks to public safety.” A smaller annex has remained open for limited programming.

Floca has pointed to leaks affecting the roof overhangs as part of the reason for the closure. Earlier this month, a five-foot section of plaster fell from the ceiling of the Grand Foyer during a storm. Floca told the center’s board that roof-overhang leaks may have contributed to the incident, although he noted that the investigation was continuing.

The Kennedy Center has also identified other maintenance problems, including an outdated HVAC system, malfunctioning elevators, an aging electrical system and theater infrastructure requiring replacement.

A $250 million renovation plan submitted in June includes $14 million in structural work addressing the leaks.

The former employees also alleged that $1.4 million allocated for waterproofing repairs was diverted toward the $4.4 million project to repaint the center’s exterior columns white.

The Kennedy Center disputed the characterization of that project as purely cosmetic, saying it also involved maintenance work, including addressing rust at the bases of the columns.