[22] In her book On Architecture, Ada Louise Huxtable called it "gemütlich Speer. The legislation required a portion of the costs, estimated at $10–25 million, to be raised within five years of the bill's passage. An earlier design proposal called for a more curvy, spaceship-inspired building similar to how the Watergate complex appears today. Members of the board are specified by 20 USC 76h and include ex officio members such as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Librarian of Congress, the Secretary of State (substituting for the Director of the United States Information Agency after that agency was abolished), the Chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts, the Mayor of the District of Columbia, the Superintendent of Schools of the District of Columbia, the Director of the National Park Service, the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, as well as 36 general trustees appointed by the President of the United States for six-year terms.[65]. The Opera House, in the middle, has about 2,300 seats. The agreement did not specify who was responsible for long-term capital improvement projects at the Kennedy Center, along with only periodic funding by Congress for one-time projects. Suzanne Farrell, one of the most revered ballerinas of the 20th century, has been hosting this Balanchine-inspired intensive at the Kennedy Center since 1993. George London was the Kennedy Center's first executive director (often called "artistic director" by the press, although that was not the formal title), serving from 1968 to 1970,[56] while William McCormick Blair, Jr. was its first administrative director. “I am humbled and eager to join The Kennedy Center Team,” said Sebastian. [49] The renovations projects were completed 13 to 50 percent over budget, due to modifications of plans during the renovations resulting in overtime and other penalties. [43], The Center is currently engaged in a 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) expansion project on four acres in the Center's South Plaza. From operating the Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour to serving lunch at the Moon Rock Cafe, our goal is to provide stewardship and hospitality in special places dedicated to creating memorable guest experiences as unique as the destination. [17], President Lyndon B. Johnson dug the ceremonial first-shovel of earth at the groundbreaking for the Kennedy Center December 2, 1964. Stevens recruited First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy as Honorary Chairman of the Center, and former First Lady Mamie Eisenhower as co-chairman. Selected feeds continuously updated. The Kennedy Center strives to offer programs and services across the age spectrum to individuals with unique talents, interests and goals. Prior to 1980, daily operations of the Kennedy Center were overseen by the chairman of the board of directors, and by the board itself. The Kennedy Center formerly supported and produced the Suzanne Farrell Ballet in performances at the Center and on extended tours. [52] The fundraising goal for the new Reach arts center grew to $250 million[55] as the project progressed, and the target was achieved just two days before opening. In 1999, the Center began web-casting each night's live performance, and continues to archive and maintain each event in a database of over 3,000 performances which may be accessed via the Center's website. Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, the Kennedy Center's founding chairman, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide which has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States. It is the home of the Washington National Opera and the annual Kennedy Center Honors. 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