John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
- Architect
- Edward Durell Stone
- Year
- 1971
- City
- Washington, DC
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opened September 8, 1971, on the east bank of the Potomac as the national "living memorial" to President Kennedy. Authorized by the National Cultural Center Act of 1958 and designed by Edward Durell Stone, it operates as a public-private partnership: federal funding covers building maintenance and operations, while programming runs on ticket sales and private gifts. It is home to the National Symphony Orchestra and is administered as a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution.
the building
A living memorial. Rather than a monument of stone and inscription, the center was conceived as a working memorial — a building that stays useful, hosting theater, ballet, modern dance, classical music, jazz, pop, psychedelic, and folk performances rather than simply commemorating Kennedy. George London became its first executive director in 1968, three years before the building opened.
An addition by Steven Holl. In 2019, an expansion designed by Steven Holl opened alongside Stone's original building, adding new performance and rehearsal space to the riverside complex.
significance
The Kennedy Center serves as the United States' national cultural center, established by the National Cultural Center Act of 1958, and functions as a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution.
nearby
- Old Naval Observatory
- Watergate Complex
- United States Institute of Peace Headquarters
- American Institute of Pharmacy (American Pharmacists Association)
- Harry S. Truman Federal Building
- Earley, John J., Office and Studio