WASHINGTON (AP) β The first major expansion of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has commenced nearly 50 years after construction began on the cultural center, with a ceremonial groundbreaking led by Vice President Joe Biden.
At the Thursday ceremony, Biden said Kennedy let people imagine what was possible and that the arts were part of Kennedy’s vision for America. Biden said the expansion will reimagine what the living monument can be.
The expansion will add new space for arts education, programs, rehearsals and interaction between artists and audience members.
It will also add some new memorial elements in a park honoring the 35th president.
President Lyndon B. Johnson originally broke ground for the Kennedy Center in December 1964. It opened to the public in 1971.
