WASHINGTON — The fight over one of the capital's most storied cultural landmarks escalated into federal court this week after President Trump threatened to tear down the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and a judge stepped in to stop him — at least for now.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled Thursday that the Kennedy Center's board cannot demolish the main building or start new construction without giving the court 30 days' advance notice, according to NPR's report on the ruling. Cooper denied a request from Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, for an emergency hearing, but ordered the board to file a detailed status report on its plans by next Wednesday.

How it escalated

The Kennedy Center's board voted Tuesday to close the facility entirely, citing physical deterioration and financial strain the board says make it impossible to keep the doors open. The next day, Trump raised the stakes dramatically, telling reporters the complex could be "ripped down" unless his name appears on the main building. "If we don't do that, it's going to close, it will end up being ripped down," Trump said, according to a report carried by NPR member station WRVO. He also claimed the center had lost "hundreds of millions" of dollars, without providing supporting evidence.

IF WE DON'T DO THAT, IT'S GOING TO CLOSE, IT WILL END UP BEING RIPPED DOWN.

A photo circulated this week showing Trump reviewing a poster that appeared to read "Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED," and a staff member reported seeing a forklift repeatedly strike the building's pillars during gate construction on Wednesday — details that only deepened alarm among preservationists and performers who use the hall.

The legal fight

Beatty, an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board, filed the federal lawsuit that led to Thursday's order. It follows a separate case filed in May by eight architecture and preservation groups, including the American Institute of Architects and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which asked a court to appoint an independent monitor to oversee the historic building. Cooper, the same judge now blocking any demolition, had earlier ruled the board could not put Trump's name on the building's front facade — a decision that preceded this week's closure vote.

Trump has clashed with the Kennedy Center's leadership since early in his second term, when he moved to reshape its board and installed allies as chairman. Critics say this week's closure vote and demolition threat are the culmination of that takeover; the board maintains the building's condition and finances leave it no choice.

What's next

The board must now detail its plans to the court by next Wednesday, and any move toward demolition or major new construction triggers the 30-day notice window Cooper imposed. That gives Congress, preservation groups and the public a window to respond before any physical changes to the 1971 marble landmark on the Potomac. Beatty's office has signaled it will keep pressing for a fuller hearing on the merits of the board's closure vote itself.