John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts National Memorial
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The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is the largest cultural
facility of its kind; it is also designed to serve as a memorial to President
John F. Kennedy. More than 8,000 visitors pass through the complex daily. Even
if one never sees a single performance here, a tour through the building,
designed by Edward Durell Stone, is sure to be one of the highlights of any
sightseeing itinerary. The courtly rectangular structure, massive in size and
surrounded on all sides by a broad colonnade of slender pillars, is covered
with Carrara marble from Italy. Many of the materials,
decorations, and furnishings throughout the building are donations from more
than 40 countries.
 ©National Park Service The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a memorial and the largest cultural facility of its kind. |
Inside, two vast red-carpeted halls — the Hall of States and
the Hall of Nations — connect with an even vaster grand foyer. An opening onto
the River Terrace provides a resplendent view of the Potomac
River. The Grand Foyer is one of the largest rooms in the world,
75 feet longer than the WashingtonMonument is high.
Occupying center stage is the memorial bust of President John F. Kennedy. The
rough-hewn bronze sculpture, created by American sculptor Robert Berks, is
seven feet high, weighs 3,000 pounds, and sits atop a travertine marble
pedestal.
The KennedyCenter has five theaters,
varying in size, orientation, and audience appeal, as well as the American Film
Institute theater. All have been designed to offer exceptionally fine
acoustics, sight lines, and technical capacities.
Eisenhower Theater. President
Dwight David Eisenhower was the first to initiate plans to develop a national
center for the performing arts. The 1,200-seat theater named for him hosts
major touring productions, often before they open on Broadway. The likeness of
Eisenhower in the lobby, a bronze bust by Felix de Weldon, was presented by the
Texas State Society to commemorate the first native Texan to become President
of the United States.
The Terrace Theater. The smallest and most intimate of the major KennedyCenter performing-arts outlets is
located on the Roof Terrace level. The 500-seat Terrace Theater is the place to
come to hear the finest in chamber music and choral recitals, or opera, dance,
and theatrical productions on a smaller scale. It’s also the stage for
Imagination Celebration, the center’s national youth art festival, and the
annual American College Theater Festival, featuring productions of the six
finalists in the competition.
Opera House. Designed on a grand scale for grand
opera, this three-tiered, 2,300-seat theater showplace plays host to such
diverse groups as the Dance Theater of Harlem, the Stuttgart Ballet, and the
Grand Kabuki of Japan, as well as the Washington Opera. Many top-notch musical
productions are staged here as well. The Opera House is also the setting each
year for the nationally televised Kennedy Center Honors Gala, which recognizes
the contributions of outstanding performance artists to America’s cultural life.
The
Concert Hall. This 2,750-seat theater, the largest of the KennedyCenter
halls, is home to the National Symphony Orchestra. It is also the setting for
appearances by visiting orchestras, the annual Holiday Festival, the Messiah
sing-along, and the summer pops series. Acoustics throughout are unsurpassed.
The
Theater Lab. Located near the Terrace Theater on the rooftop level, the
250-seat experimental performance center is the smallest of the KennedyCenter entertainment areas. During the
day, the Theater Lab presents a full complement of children’s shows,
improvisational theater, teachers’ workshops and other intimate productions and
exhibits. At night, the lab turns into a cabaret.
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts National Memorial Information
Address: 2700 F Street, NW
Washington, DC20566
Telephone: 202/467-4600 or 800/444-1324
Hours
of Operation: Open daily 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. (tours: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., daily)
Admission: Free
Learn about these other national memorials:
To learn more about national
monuments, memorials, and historic sites, and other travel destinations in North America, visit:
National Monuments:
Learn more about America’s
national monuments.
Eric Peterson is a Denver-based author who has contributed to numerous guidebooks about the Western United States.
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