Piece of the Kennedy Center's ceiling falls amid heavy rain in DC area
A chunk of the ceiling of the Kennedy Center's grand foyer fell Friday night amid heavy rain in the D.C. area.
No one was injured, according to a Kennedy Center statement, but debris and dust were spread across a wide area of the red carpet that hundreds of patrons would typically walk along on their way to a performance.
An internal email shared with ABC News indicates the main building was closed immediately after the collapse, and that the grand foyer that leads to the Opera House, Concert Hall and Eisenhower Theater will be "restricted from all visits and non-essential access throughout the weekend," while the rest of the building will be open.
The partial ceiling collapse occurred as a legal battle plays out over the Kennedy Center board's plan to close the institution for renovations and to add President Donald Trump's name to the facade.
There are only a handful of performances currently scheduled at the Kennedy Center, mainly at the adjacent facility known as the REACH.
Kennedy Center spokeswoman Roma Daravi calls the incident "another example of the urgent need to close for renovation and revitalization," saying the ceiling failure "stems from decades of neglect and deferred maintenance by the previous leadership."
The center's board has voted to close the facility for a two-year renovation, but the plan is likely to be challenged in federal court, where a judge is now weighing whether to block the board's plan to honor Trump by adding his name to the facade as the man who "restored and renovated" the facility.
The center, which opened in 1971, was created by an act of Congress during the Eisenhower administration and designated as a living memorial shortly after President John F. Kennedy's death.
