Historic Resources Committee

Let's get ahead of the threat to the Kennedy Center, where the plan is reportedly to reuse the steel. Is AIA / HRC the appropriate body to issue a rundown of the administrative and review procedures required for alterations to a significant building such as this? We can do something before the marble ends up in East Potomac Park with the East Wing!

DOCOMOMO is on this, so maybe we can consider supporting them.

What are your thoughts?

I am a long time Docomomo member and haven't seen and info from them yet.  Do you have a link?
I will look more too.
Thanks for mentioning this.

Let's get ahead of the threat to the Kennedy Center, where the plan is reportedly to reuse the steel. Is AIA / HRC the appropriate body to issue a rundown of the administrative and review procedures required for alterations to a significant building such as this? We can do something before the marble ends up in East Potomac Park with the East Wing!

DOCOMOMO is on this, so maybe we can consider supporting them.

What are your thoughts?

Let's get ahead of the threat to the Kennedy Center, where the plan is reportedly to reuse the steel. Is AIA / HRC the appropriate body to issue a rundown of the administrative and review procedures required for alterations to a significant building such as this? We can do something before the marble ends up in East Potomac Park with the East Wing!

DOCOMOMO is on this, so maybe we can consider supporting them.

What are your thoughts?

Let's get ahead of the threat to the Kennedy Center, where the plan is reportedly to reuse the steel. Is AIA / HRC the appropriate body to issue a rundown of the administrative and review procedures required for alterations to a significant building such as this? We can do something before the marble ends up in East Potomac Park with the East Wing!

DOCOMOMO is on this, so maybe we can consider supporting them.

What are your thoughts?

Let's get ahead of the threat to the Kennedy Center, where the plan is reportedly to reuse the steel. Is AIA / HRC the appropriate body to issue a rundown of the administrative and review procedures required for alterations to a significant building such as this? We can do something before the marble ends up in East Potomac Park with the East Wing!

DOCOMOMO is on this, so maybe we can consider supporting them.

What are your thoughts?

Let's get ahead of the threat to the Kennedy Center, where the plan is reportedly to reuse the steel. Is AIA / HRC the appropriate body to issue a rundown of the administrative and review procedures required for alterations to a significant building such as this? We can do something before the marble ends up in East Potomac Park with the East Wing!

DOCOMOMO is on this, so maybe we can consider supporting them.

What are your thoughts?

Let's get ahead of the threat to the Kennedy Center, where the plan is reportedly to reuse the steel. Is AIA / HRC the appropriate body to issue a rundown of the administrative and review procedures required for alterations to a significant building such as this? We can do something before the marble ends up in East Potomac Park with the East Wing!

DOCOMOMO is on this, so maybe we can consider supporting them.

What are your thoughts?

The American Institute of Architects finally takes a stand.

"Dear John,

Today, AIA joined a coalition of preservation and architecture organizations in filing suit to ensure that federal law is followed before any major demolition or alterations occur at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a nationally significant architectural and cultural landmark. 

This action is about protecting the process that ensures architects, preservation experts, and the public have a voice when nationally significant architecture is changed. 

What This Is 

The lawsuit asks the court to require the federal government to follow laws such as the National Historic Preservation Act, which are designed to protect and preserve nationally significant architecture, before undertaking major demolition or structural changes.  

The Kennedy Center has been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, which triggers federal review requirements. These laws require: 
• Consultation with preservation experts and professional organizations 
• Public transparency and review 
• Careful evaluation before irreversible actions such as demolition 
Our coalition is asking the court to ensure this required process occurs before demolition or fundamental redesign proceeds. 

What This Is Not 

This lawsuit is not about politics, does not oppose modernization or improvements, and does not prescribe a design outcome. 

Routine maintenance and necessary upgrades can proceed. 

The question before the court is straightforward: Should federal law be followed before major demolition or alterations take place? 

Why AIA Is Participating 

AIA advocates for architects and the value of architecture and preservation in society, ensuring that the nation's shared architectural heritage is protected for future generations. 
When established review processes are bypassed, the professional expertise architects bring to civic architecture can also be sidelined. These processes exist for a reason. Architects have a responsibility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public, and federal review laws help ensure that major changes to important public buildings receive appropriate professional scrutiny. 

Last year, AIA raised concerns about the proposed White House ballroom project, calling for preservation, transparency, and adherence to established review processes. Significant actions affecting nationally important architecture should follow lawful process and include professional oversight. 

Past administrations have followed these statutory processes. When they are bypassed, it risks setting a precedent that weakens the safeguards protecting important, historical civic architecture. We recognize actions involving nationally significant sites can draw public and political attention. Our role here is to not engage in that discourse but to uphold the professional and legal standards that guide how such decisions are made.  

What This Means for Architects 

Architects play a central role in stewarding important civic places. Laws like the National Historic Preservation Act help ensure that professional expertise, public input, and careful review guide major decisions affecting them. 

Respecting these processes helps ensure architects can fulfill their professional obligation to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. When they are followed, architects' expertise is brought into the process and the outcomes are immensely improved. 

What to Expect Next 

The coalition has requested a preliminary injunction asking the court to pause demolition or major alterations while the legally required review and consultation processes occur. 
This litigation focuses narrowly on ensuring lawful process before irreversible action is taken, safeguarding the preservation of nationally significant architecture like the Kennedy Center. AIA will keep members informed as the case proceeds. 

Thank you for the work you do every day to shape our communities and the built environment. 

Sincerely, 

Illya Azaroff, FAIA 
2026 President 
The American Institute of Architects "

Let's get ahead of the threat to the Kennedy Center, where the plan is reportedly to reuse the steel. Is AIA / HRC the appropriate body to issue a rundown of the administrative and review procedures required for alterations to a significant building such as this? We can do something before the marble ends up in East Potomac Park with the East Wing!

DOCOMOMO is on this, so maybe we can consider supporting them.

What are your thoughts?

The American Institute of Architects finally takes a stand.

"Dear John,

Today, AIA joined a coalition of preservation and architecture organizations in filing suit to ensure that federal law is followed before any major demolition or alterations occur at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a nationally significant architectural and cultural landmark. 

This action is about protecting the process that ensures architects, preservation experts, and the public have a voice when nationally significant architecture is changed. 

What This Is 

The lawsuit asks the court to require the federal government to follow laws such as the National Historic Preservation Act, which are designed to protect and preserve nationally significant architecture, before undertaking major demolition or structural changes.  

The Kennedy Center has been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, which triggers federal review requirements. These laws require: 
• Consultation with preservation experts and professional organizations 
• Public transparency and review 
• Careful evaluation before irreversible actions such as demolition 
Our coalition is asking the court to ensure this required process occurs before demolition or fundamental redesign proceeds. 

What This Is Not 

This lawsuit is not about politics, does not oppose modernization or improvements, and does not prescribe a design outcome. 

Routine maintenance and necessary upgrades can proceed. 

The question before the court is straightforward: Should federal law be followed before major demolition or alterations take place? 

Why AIA Is Participating 

AIA advocates for architects and the value of architecture and preservation in society, ensuring that the nation's shared architectural heritage is protected for future generations. 
When established review processes are bypassed, the professional expertise architects bring to civic architecture can also be sidelined. These processes exist for a reason. Architects have a responsibility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public, and federal review laws help ensure that major changes to important public buildings receive appropriate professional scrutiny. 

Last year, AIA raised concerns about the proposed White House ballroom project, calling for preservation, transparency, and adherence to established review processes. Significant actions affecting nationally important architecture should follow lawful process and include professional oversight. 

Past administrations have followed these statutory processes. When they are bypassed, it risks setting a precedent that weakens the safeguards protecting important, historical civic architecture. We recognize actions involving nationally significant sites can draw public and political attention. Our role here is to not engage in that discourse but to uphold the professional and legal standards that guide how such decisions are made.  

What This Means for Architects 

Architects play a central role in stewarding important civic places. Laws like the National Historic Preservation Act help ensure that professional expertise, public input, and careful review guide major decisions affecting them. 

Respecting these processes helps ensure architects can fulfill their professional obligation to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. When they are followed, architects' expertise is brought into the process and the outcomes are immensely improved. 

What to Expect Next 

The coalition has requested a preliminary injunction asking the court to pause demolition or major alterations while the legally required review and consultation processes occur. 
This litigation focuses narrowly on ensuring lawful process before irreversible action is taken, safeguarding the preservation of nationally significant architecture like the Kennedy Center. AIA will keep members informed as the case proceeds. 

Thank you for the work you do every day to shape our communities and the built environment. 

Sincerely, 

Illya Azaroff, FAIA 
2026 President 
The American Institute of Architects "

Let's get ahead of the threat to the Kennedy Center, where the plan is reportedly to reuse the steel. Is AIA / HRC the appropriate body to issue a rundown of the administrative and review procedures required for alterations to a significant building such as this? We can do something before the marble ends up in East Potomac Park with the East Wing!

DOCOMOMO is on this, so maybe we can consider supporting them.

What are your thoughts?

The American Institute of Architects finally takes a stand.

"Dear John,

Today, AIA joined a coalition of preservation and architecture organizations in filing suit to ensure that federal law is followed before any major demolition or alterations occur at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a nationally significant architectural and cultural landmark. 

This action is about protecting the process that ensures architects, preservation experts, and the public have a voice when nationally significant architecture is changed. 

What This Is 

The lawsuit asks the court to require the federal government to follow laws such as the National Historic Preservation Act, which are designed to protect and preserve nationally significant architecture, before undertaking major demolition or structural changes.  

The Kennedy Center has been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, which triggers federal review requirements. These laws require: 
• Consultation with preservation experts and professional organizations 
• Public transparency and review 
• Careful evaluation before irreversible actions such as demolition 
Our coalition is asking the court to ensure this required process occurs before demolition or fundamental redesign proceeds. 

What This Is Not 

This lawsuit is not about politics, does not oppose modernization or improvements, and does not prescribe a design outcome. 

Routine maintenance and necessary upgrades can proceed. 

The question before the court is straightforward: Should federal law be followed before major demolition or alterations take place? 

Why AIA Is Participating 

AIA advocates for architects and the value of architecture and preservation in society, ensuring that the nation's shared architectural heritage is protected for future generations. 
When established review processes are bypassed, the professional expertise architects bring to civic architecture can also be sidelined. These processes exist for a reason. Architects have a responsibility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public, and federal review laws help ensure that major changes to important public buildings receive appropriate professional scrutiny. 

Last year, AIA raised concerns about the proposed White House ballroom project, calling for preservation, transparency, and adherence to established review processes. Significant actions affecting nationally important architecture should follow lawful process and include professional oversight. 

Past administrations have followed these statutory processes. When they are bypassed, it risks setting a precedent that weakens the safeguards protecting important, historical civic architecture. We recognize actions involving nationally significant sites can draw public and political attention. Our role here is to not engage in that discourse but to uphold the professional and legal standards that guide how such decisions are made.  

What This Means for Architects 

Architects play a central role in stewarding important civic places. Laws like the National Historic Preservation Act help ensure that professional expertise, public input, and careful review guide major decisions affecting them. 

Respecting these processes helps ensure architects can fulfill their professional obligation to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. When they are followed, architects' expertise is brought into the process and the outcomes are immensely improved. 

What to Expect Next 

The coalition has requested a preliminary injunction asking the court to pause demolition or major alterations while the legally required review and consultation processes occur. 
This litigation focuses narrowly on ensuring lawful process before irreversible action is taken, safeguarding the preservation of nationally significant architecture like the Kennedy Center. AIA will keep members informed as the case proceeds. 

Thank you for the work you do every day to shape our communities and the built environment. 

Sincerely, 

Illya Azaroff, FAIA 
2026 President 
The American Institute of Architects "

Let's get ahead of the threat to the Kennedy Center, where the plan is reportedly to reuse the steel. Is AIA / HRC the appropriate body to issue a rundown of the administrative and review procedures required for alterations to a significant building such as this? We can do something before the marble ends up in East Potomac Park with the East Wing!

DOCOMOMO is on this, so maybe we can consider supporting them.

What are your thoughts?