An inside look at the state of the Kennedy Center before two-year renovation

Extensive water damage, steel rusting to the point it feels like “tissue paper,” and industrial chillers over three decades old.

As the Kennedy Center readies for this massive undertaking, it has hosted congressional leaders and project donors for tours of the campus to show the extent of the structural damage that has taken place. The signs of the ground’s foundational neglect mainly occur in the underground spaces beneath the well-traveled patron areas.

The underground tours have left donors and congressmen with “surprise across the board,” as they ask questions such as “How did we get to this point?” said Matt Floca, the acting executive director of the Kennedy Center.

The Washington Examiner went on one of these same underground tours on Wednesday for an inside look at the structural damage that led to President Donald Trump‘s decision to close the building for two years. Here is what to know about the