when was the kennedy center named

The Kennedy Center received its name in early 1964, a few months after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, when Congress passed a law renaming the planned National Cultural Center as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Direct answer

• The performing arts complex in Washington, D.C., was originally authorized as the National Cultural Center in 1958.

• After President Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, Congress passed an act renaming it the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a “living memorial” in January 1964, with President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the legislation on January 23, 1964.

Extra context

• The project kept its memorial purpose when the building finally opened in 1971 with the premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass.”

• The center has remained the United States’ national cultural center, hosting theater, dance, and music while also serving as the official memorial to President Kennedy in Washington, D.C.

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