The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has suspended its longstanding free public tour program, an internal memo revealed, marking a significant change for the institution that has offered tours since its opening in 1971. The pause on guided tours took effect Friday and applies exclusively to volunteer tour guides, who were instructed to halt their duties "until further notice."

The volunteer tour program, a fixture of the Kennedy Center for more than five decades aside from a break during the COVID-19 pandemic, is currently under review. The center's volunteer program director, Brooks Boeke, distributed the memo to all volunteers but declined further comment when contacted. The note was also shared with the center’s director, Matt Floca, security chief Karles Jackson, and two volunteer program managers, none of whom responded to requests for additional information.

In an emailed statement, a Kennedy Center spokesperson, P.J. Elilot, said the institution is reviewing its campus tour routes to ensure an improved experience for visitors, but offered no further explanation for the suspension.

The decision comes amid a period of upheaval at the Kennedy Center following actions taken last year by former President Donald Trump. His administration removed the center’s leadership, scaled back programming, and appointed a new board who prominently displayed his name on the building—a move that was recently reversed by a court order. These changes coincided with significant losses in staff—estimated at around 90 percent—and a near-total drop in paying audiences.

Several volunteers had expressed concern prior to the suspension that the tour program might be targeted as part of ongoing administrative changes. A prominent volunteer guide, Sandy Weisswasser, 87, who had been leading tours for 18 years, was featured in a recent article reflecting on the center’s decline. Weisswasser, a retired teacher, noted that the center had once been a vibrant and busy cultural hub but described it recently as a “black hole.” She and other remaining tour guides reportedly continued their work out of dedication to the institution despite dwindling participation from colleagues; on a recent tour shift, only five of more than a dozen guides showed up.

Looking ahead, the Kennedy Center’s board is expected next month to consider a proposal to close the facility for a two-year renovation, a plan supported by former President Trump. The suspension of the volunteer tour program adds to the uncertainty surrounding the center’s future as it navigates the fallout of administrative changes and efforts to revitalize its mission and attendance.