The new board renamed the institution the Donald J Trump and the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in December. New signage appeared on the building’s exterior the following day.
Several musical acts, including Steven Schwartz, the composer of the musical Wicked, and a group called Doug Varone and the Dancers, cancelled performances at the centre in the following weeks because of the Trump name change.
On Thursday, the venue hosted a premiere screening of a documentary about first lady Melania Trump.
Trump has said there would be a “scheduled grand reopening” for the facility, and that the renovations had already been financed.
“I have determined that The Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for construction, revitalization, and complete rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest performing arts facility of its kind, anywhere in the world,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“In other words, if we don’t close, the quality of construction will not be nearly as good, and the time to completion, because of interruptions with Audiences from the many events using the facility, will be much longer.”