The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on the eastern bank of the Potomac in Washington, D.C., is considered the national cultural center of the United States. It was authorized by the National Cultural Center Act of 1958 and, after Kennedy's assassination, given its present name in 1964. Edward Durell Stone's building opened on 8 September 1971 with Leonard Bernstein's Mass. The 190-metre Grand Foyer links the three main halls: the Concert Hall with 2,465 seats, the Opera House with about 2,350 and the Eisenhower Theater with about 1,160. It is home to the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Kennedy Center Honors are held in the Opera House each year. Steven Holl's REACH extension opened in 2019. In early 2026 the Washington National Opera announced it would leave after half a century.
The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., opened in 1971 in memory of the assassinated President John F. Kennedy, is America's national cultural centre — the annual Kennedy Center Honors recognise artists of the highest national rank.
At a glance
- Type
- Multi-genre theatre
- Location
- Washington D.C., USA
More venues in Washington D.C.
- Drunk Shakespeare DC · Theatre, Washington, DC
More venues in USA
- Academy of Music · Opera house, Philadelphia
- Academy of Vocal Arts · Opera house, Philadelphia
- Al Hirschfeld Theatre · Musical theatre, New York
- Anchorage Opera · Opera house, Anchorage
- Annapolis Opera · Opera house, Annapolis
- Arizona Opera · Opera house, Phoenix
- Austin Opera · Opera house, Austin
- Bard SummerScape · Opera house, Annandale-on-Hudson
- Booth Theatre · Theatre, New York