Trump says he's not planning to rip down Kennedy Center

As President Trump prepares to unopen down the Kennedy Center for renovations, sources told CBS News determination has been nary treatment of demolishing oregon gutting the building.

The president told reporters successful the Oval Office connected Monday helium plans to make a "brand new" Kennedy Center utilizing the 55-year-old arts institution's existing alloy and immoderate of its marble, drafting speculation astir the grade of the planned two-year renovation project.

Asked by CBS News connected Monday if helium plans to teardrop down the building, helium said: "I'm not ripping it down. I'll beryllium utilizing the steel, truthful we're utilizing the structure."

He said his changes volition outgo astir $200 million. 

Sources acquainted with the substance told CBS News that Mr. Trump has truthful acold not asked for estimates for gutting the building. 

The scheduled changes, which volition commencement this summer, see a caller extortion and replacement of immoderate marble and grout. There volition besides beryllium indispensable renovations to the promenade conception of the gathering that stretches retired implicit the roadworthy toward the river, wherever existing alloy volition beryllium reused, 1 of the sources said. One of the 2 free-standing stages successful the expansive foyer volition apt beryllium removed, and perchance replaced with a bar.

But the building's basal layout, with the 3 theaters and the Hall of Nations and the Hall of States, volition remain, the sources told CBS News.

In the Oval Office, Mr. Trump said that arsenic a existent property builder, "you privation to beryllium with thing for a small portion earlier you determine connected what you privation to do." He added: "You know, we sat with it" and discovered "it's dilapidated" and needs to beryllium fixed. 

A White House authoritative said the medication doesn't request legislature support to temporarily adjacent the gathering for renovations. 

Congress appropriated astir $250 million for gathering renovations past year.

Mr. Trump announced precocious Sunday that the Kennedy Center would adjacent for operation for astir 2 years, aiming to code what Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell called "decades of deferred attraction and repairs." Mr. Trump argued closing the halfway "will nutrient a overmuch faster and higher prime result" than enduring partial closures portion the gathering is renovated.

Since returning to the White House past year, Mr. Trump has sought to enactment his stamp connected D.C.-area landmarks. The existent property developer-turned-president had the White House's East Wing demolished past fall to marque country for a planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom. And helium commissioned a triumphal arch crossed the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., saying implicit the play he'd similar the arch to beryllium "the biggest one" successful the world.

Mr. Trump and his allies person besides made sweeping changes to the Kennedy Center. Weeks aft his inauguration, the president replaced immoderate members of the center's committee of trustees and made himself chair. Last month, the committee voted to change the center's sanction to the Trump-Kennedy Center, and Mr. Trump's sanction was added to the beforehand of the building, drafting disapproval from Democrats who argued the sanction can't beryllium changed without an enactment of Congress.

The halfway has besides faced a bid of high-profile cancellations. The Broadway deed "Hamilton" pulled retired of planned performances, composer Philip Glass canceled a premiere of his caller symphony and respective other philharmonic artists called disconnected their shows, successful galore cases citing either the sanction alteration oregon broader concerns astir the center's governmental direction.

Grenell has criticized the artists who canceled their appearances, saying they were "booked by the erstwhile acold near leadership" and accusing them of politicizing the center.