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Kennedy Center To Build $100M Expansion

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The Kennedy Center hasn't been expanded since it opened in 1971.
Mack Male: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mastermaq/3565852634/
The Kennedy Center hasn't been expanded since it opened in 1971.

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is planning its first major expansion since it opened in 1971.

The center is unveiling plans for a $100 million dollar addition, which will include three pavilions to house rehearsal halls and classrooms, a memorial garden and a stage on the Potomac River's edge for outdoor performances. The pavilions will be built mostly underground in a space that's currently being used as a parking lot.

Kennedy Center leaders say they need that additional space, especially since taking on the Washington National Opera as an affiliate. Money for the project is being raised privately, and half has been donated by the center's chairman, David M. Rubenstein.

The center plans to break ground in 2016 and complete the project in 2018.

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