WASHINGTON — The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, once a bustling cultural hub in the nation’s capital, now stands largely empty and uncertain amid plans for a lengthy renovation and leadership shake-ups initiated during the Trump administration.

Sandy Weiswasser, an 87-year-old retired teacher and longtime volunteer guide, has been giving tours of the Kennedy Center for 18 years. Despite dwindling visitor numbers and a thinning roster of volunteer guides, she continues her weekly tours, determined to preserve the memory of the center’s former vitality. "This place used to be really thriving and busy and crowded," she said. Now, she describes it as a “black hole.”

The decline follows a series of significant changes in recent years. In 2022, the Kennedy Center’s board, reconstituted with allies appointed by then-President Donald Trump, controversially added his name to the building’s facade. That decision was later reversed by court order. In addition, Trump’s administration removed key leaders, cut programming, and saw the departure of marquee artists and longtime residents, including the Washington National Opera, which severed its 15-year residency after clashes with the center's management.

The center’s once lively performance spaces—such as the Opera House, Concert Hall, and Eisenhower Theater—now sit mostly idle. For example, Weiswasser points to the Opera House’s empty orchestra pit, cluttered with trash and abandoned music stands. The last concert of the National Symphony Orchestra's season on June 13 was marked by sparsely filled seats, with the orchestra’s future residency unclear amid budget uncertainties and administrative changes.

The center is also contending with the effects of what some employees referred to as “Firing Fridays,” when waves of staff were dismissed abruptly, and broader morale has been affected. According to volunteers like Weiswasser and fellow guide Judith Skolnick, who joined in 2017 after retiring from property management, the institution is grappling with both internal upheaval and a severe drop in public engagement. Skolnick expressed concern about the Kennedy Center’s proposed two-year closure for renovations, saying, “In two years I have no idea if I’m going to be here or not.”

Renovation plans promoted by the center’s management include modernizing key infrastructure elements such as rigging, stage flooring, lighting systems, and theater seating, as well as repairing compromised structural components. However, these plans have raised worries among staff and volunteers about the center’s ability to maintain its cultural presence during the shutdown.

Despite the challenges, volunteers emphasize the Kennedy Center’s historical significance as a symbol of democratic access to the arts. Weiswasser recalls how the center was born from bipartisan legislation championed by President John F. Kennedy after President Dwight D. Eisenhower initially approved its establishment. Over the decades, the center has benefited from contributions and gifts worldwide, including Italy’s 3,700 tons of Carrara marble and other international artwork.

Weiswasser continues to draw strength from the center’s past, recounting memories of leading school groups, introducing young visitors to classical music, and sharing the experience of watching her own grandchildren perform and attend shows. Yet she acknowledges a waning pride compared to her youth.

For now, as the fate of the Kennedy Center hangs in the balance, the remaining guides like Weiswasser serve as persistent custodians of its legacy, offering tours to the few visitors who still come and bearing witness to a landmark institution in a state of transition. The center’s board is expected to make a definitive decision about the future and potential closure in August.