At high noon on Saturday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, one vigil gave way to another, as patrons and visitors pivoted from concerns over the center\u2019s name to the fate of an institution mired in legal uncertainty.<\/p>\n
About 150 people had gathered in front of the building under a blazing sun, having heard that the center had until noon to certify that President Trump\u2019s name had indeed been removed from the facade<\/a>, as a federal court had ordered.<\/p>\n The center filed the certification with the court before the deadline, but visitors looking to confirm the results with their own eyes were out of luck: The marble front remained shrouded in white- and blue-striped tarps, with no clear answer on when they would be removed.<\/p>\n \u201cI was hoping for a reveal, honestly,\u201d said Katy Bigge, a student at Rutgers University who was visiting Washington with her parents. Her father, Philip Bigge, was squatting on the ground, peering through a crack between the tarp and the building\u2019s front to try to make certain that Mr. Trump\u2019s name was gone. He could not be sure, but he thought he had detected that the letters were missing.<\/p>\n \u201cI think overall the message is that the process works,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Ms. Bigge, 21, was less sure about the removal\u2019s larger civic meaning, but she was pleased to witness its aftermath. \u201cSomething like this is a little satisfying,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n It was far from clear how long the satisfaction of Mr. Trump\u2019s critics, some of whom had also gathered at the Kennedy Center on Friday night, would last. Representatives for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday afternoon about plans for the facade.<\/p>\n The president\u2019s allies on the center\u2019s board, who voted in December to add Mr. Trump\u2019s name to the building and who consider him key to the institution\u2019s revitalization, are continuing to fight the judge\u2019s order<\/a> in an appeals court.<\/p>\n In the ruling late last month, Judge Christopher R. Cooper of Federal District Court in Washington found that only Congress, which dedicated the building as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy in 1964, could alter its name<\/a>. But if a higher court disagrees, it is possible that the letters will go right back up.<\/p>\n Hanging in the balance of the appeal is also Mr. Trump\u2019s plan for a two-year closure for renovations<\/a>, after the judge ruled that the board had not properly scrutinized the plan.<\/p>\n Even if the institution stays open, it will do so with a staff depleted by firings, layoffs and departures; with a calendar largely empty of programming; and with the financial headwinds brought about by boycotts from artists and audiences.<\/p>\n \u201cThe name change was the most legible imprint of the White House on the center, but so much damage had already been done at that point,\u201d said Cathleen O\u2019Malley, a former manager in the center\u2019s artistic programming department, who left her job in February.<\/p>\n Ms. O\u2019Malley was among the crowd at the Kennedy Center on Friday, spending 14 hours waiting for Mr. Trump\u2019s name to come down. She said one of the biggest challenges going forward would be the loss of experienced employees who had spent years building relationships with artists and donors.<\/p>\n Those \u201cnursing a fantasy that the Kennedy Center will spring back to life when these letters come down,\u201d she said, \u201care missing the breadth and depth of damage that has been done over the last 16 months.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Trump and his allies have argued that the rebranding has benefited the institution. In a briefing filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the Justice Department argued that millions of dollars in donations had been contingent on having Mr. Trump\u2019s name on the building.<\/p>\n \u201cRemoval of President Trump\u2019s name threatens to impede the center\u2019s fund-raising efforts and contribute to the financial decline of the center,\u201d the filing read.<\/p>\n No public financial documents have taken stock of the economic impact of Mr. Trump\u2019s takeover, but tax filings that cover part of his first year as chairman of the center are expected to be released in the coming months.<\/p>\n Amid the uncertainty of the legal battle, the National Symphony Orchestra, which performs at the center, has been left in limbo, without an approved budget to fund its coming season<\/a>. On Saturday, the orchestra will play what could be its last concert there before the closure. Mr. Trump\u2019s takeover has divided some Kennedy Center supporters, with some favoring boycotts of the symphony and other programming, and others insisting that boycotts only harm the musicians.<\/p>\n \u201cI have so many amazing memories here,\u201d Paige Carter, a recent graduate of American University\u2019s law school who let her Kennedy Center membership lapse after the president took over, said on Saturday. \u201cI desperately miss it.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Trump has argued that a two-year renovation of the Kennedy Center is exactly what the institution<\/a>, which opened in 1971, needs to thrive. Last year, he helped secure $257 million from Congress for the work.<\/p>\n Matt Floca, the center\u2019s executive director and the president\u2019s point person for the renovation plans, has said the building is in desperate need of maintenance<\/a>, pointing to serious water leaks, outdated equipment and discolored exterior marble.<\/p>\n