Report on the John F. Kennedy Center 

 for the Performing Arts 



Sir : I have the honor to submit, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, 

 a status and fmancial report on the John F. Kennedy Center for the 

 Performing Arts (formerly the National Cultural Center) for the 

 period July 1, 1963, through June 30, 1964. 



ORGANIZATION 



Public Law 85-874, September 2, 1958, established the National 

 Cultural Center as a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution. The 

 initial legislation was amended by Public Law 86-297, September 21, 

 1959. Public Law 88-100 was enacted on August 19, 1963. This 

 amended the original law by extending the term for f mid-raising 

 from 5 to 8 years and increased the maximum number of public 

 members of the Board of Trustees from 15 to 30. 



With the tragic death of President Kennedy, a spontaneous reac- 

 tion spread throughout the country to dedicate the National Cultural 

 Center as his sole memorial in the Nation's Capital. In December 

 1963 President Lyndon Johnson sent the proposal to Congress, and 

 hearings were subsequently held before a joint session of the House 

 and Senate Public Works Committee. I had the honor of testifying 

 before these hearings. The Bill passed the House and the Senate 

 with full bipartisan support, and on January 23, 1964, President 

 Johnson signed it into law. 



Provisions of the legislation. — The National Cultural Center was 

 renamed the Jolm F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. 

 Under the provisions of this Act, authorization was given for the 

 appropriation of $15.5 million to match funds raised by the public. 

 In addition, the Center's trustees were empowered to issue revenue 

 bonds to the Treasury payable from revenues accruing to the Board, 

 up to a sum of $15.4 million to cover the cost of a 3-level parking 

 facility for approximately 1,600 cars. This unit will also form the 

 substructure of the building. (The National Capital Planning Com- 

 mission was granted a fiirther appropriation of $2,175 million for 

 the purchase of land within and without the designated site and for 

 relocation payments.) 



247 



