The Kennedy Center is set to remove the blue sculpture at Kennedy Center on Wednesday, and drivers on Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway NW will face temporary closures while the work is carried out. The National Park Service said the northbound lane will close at 6 a.m., with the E Street on-ramp blocked as a crane moves in.
Julie Donaldson of FOX 5 said the statue will come down Wednesday. The Park Service said the restriction is expected to last until 1 p.m., though the timing could change.
The Reach and Blue
Blue sits outside at The Reach, the Kennedy Center’s $250 million expansion, and has been in place since 2019. The Kennedy Center website describes the work as a sculpture that is poised in mid-kick and prepares to pirouette across the grass.
The artist, Joel Shapiro, died in 2025. Internal documents obtained by suggest the statue was slated to come down early in Donald Trump’s second term, after he took control of the Kennedy Center, replaced its leadership and made himself chairman.
Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway NW
The National Park Service said the temporary closures and restrictions were requested by the Kennedy Center for the removal of a statue on its grounds. The blocked areas include the on-ramp from E Street and the intersections at Parkway Dr NW and F St NW, with a crane occupying the northbound lanes during the lift.
The Park Service said the closure is meant to protect the crew and the public. The Kennedy Center has not released an official reason for the removal, leaving the Wednesday work as a road issue first and a grounds change second for anyone headed through that stretch of Washington.
