WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2026 — The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has selected ATSR, a Minnesota-based architecture firm, as architect of record for a two-year renovation budgeted at $257 million. The appointment has prompted questions about the firm’s experience with performing arts venues and historic buildings, as well as the process used to award the contract.

ATSR, which has about 50 employees, including eight architects, according to an industry database, primarily designs schools and churches in Minnesota and nearby states. Among its largest listed projects is the $40 million renovation of Burnsville High School, completed in 2016. The firm also designed a satellite campus for the MacPhail Center for Music in Austin, Minnesota, which was completed in 2020 with a construction budget of $8.43 million.

The Kennedy Center’s renovation will address aging electrical and mechanical systems, water damage, and upgrades to public spaces and theaters. Work in the Concert Hall includes new seating and flooring, along with an overhaul of its acoustics.

The appointment comes after President Donald Trump took control of the center’s board last year, sought changes to its programming, added his name to the building, and announced plans to close the main complex for about two years.

Procurement Policy Changes

The Kennedy Center changed its procurement rules in late 2025, declaring that it was no longer subject to the federal purchasing requirements it had followed for decades. The institution adopted its own policies, giving officials greater discretion over contract awards.

The new rules require contractors to demonstrate relevant experience and technical qualifications. They favor competitive awards and instruct officials to avoid even the appearance of conflicts of interest or impropriety. The policies also allow officials to bypass competition when they identify a “compelling business interest.”

Federal procurement rules for architecture and engineering work generally require public notice, a review of firms' qualifications and a panel ranking of candidates. The process assesses professional credentials before price negotiations.

The Kennedy Center followed federal procurement requirements in 2020 when it hired DLR Group to assess renovation needs. A 2006 Government Accountability Office report found that the institution had not fully complied with federal acquisition rules during work on its Family Theater. The center initially disputed the findings and later sought special authorization for another theater renovation.

Sara Bronin, an architect and George Washington University law professor specializing in historic preservation, said the choice of a small regional firm differed from the type of firm commonly selected for federal projects of this scale.

“It’s much more typical for a federal agency to select a large firm with hundreds and often thousands of employees with multiple offices across the country, or a specialized firm that’s based in Washington, D.C.,” Bronin said.

Jessica Tillipman, a George Washington University law professor specializing in government contracting, questioned whether the Kennedy Center could exempt projects funded by congressional appropriations from federal acquisition requirements. Federal law generally favors competition, with specific rules and exceptions for architecture and engineering contracts.

ATSR’s Project Experience

ATSR has also operated under the names Armstrong, Torseth, Skold and Rydeen. Its publicly listed projects are largely schools and churches. The Burnsville High School renovation is among the firm's largest listed projects, while the MacPhail Center for Music satellite campus is its identified performing arts project.

Three senior ATSR architects obtained licenses to practice in Washington, D.C., in 2026. Eric Anderson, a partner at the firm, received his license on Feb. 1.

Lauren Fleming, secretary of the Minneapolis chapter of the American Institute of Architects, said she was unfamiliar with ATSR despite her connections to the local architecture community.

“I’ve actually never heard of this architecture firm, and I would consider myself very connected to the architecture community in Minneapolis,” Fleming said in an August email.

The Washington Post reported that architects in Washington had also tried to find out which firm had been hired for the Kennedy Center project and whether the institution had invited bids. Rebecca Miller, head of the D.C. Preservation League, which is suing the Kennedy Center over the renovation, recalled one local architect telling her, “Nobody that we know is doing it.”

Miller eventually obtained an answer from Kennedy Center Executive Director Matt Floca.

ATSR’s role as architect of record includes overseeing architectural plans and coordinating the work of other consultants. The architect of record also carries professional responsibility for plans that architects sign and seal for government approval. The firm is not the only architectural or engineering specialist working on the renovation.

Plans prepared by global real estate services firm JLL identify KCCT, a Washington architecture firm, as preservation architect. Building Conservation Associates is listed as preservation consultant, while Walter P. Moore is handling structural engineering and Threshold Acoustics is responsible for acoustic design.

ATSR architects also joined engineers and Kennedy Center officials in examining the ceiling plaster collapse in the Grand Foyer last month.

Bruce Becker, an architect and former member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, said ATSR's experience could be sufficient if the work primarily involves repairs. He also said the firm's limited record in performing arts facilities and Washington projects warranted scrutiny.

“If it’s basically fixing things that need fixing, and not creating entirely new architectural elements,” Becker said, “I don’t think it’s irresponsible to pick a firm that has proven that they can coordinate complicated projects.”

Patrick Williams, a Washington architect who previously competed for Kennedy Center work, said firms seeking assignments at the venue would generally be expected to show relevant experience.

“The chance of them doing that project is very remote,” he said. “You want to show a body of work that is pertinent to that building type.”

Williams said a client might select an architect of record without specialized design experience because of an existing relationship or familiarity with local permitting requirements. He said he did not know ATSR and was speaking generally.

Photo credit: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Cooperative Purchasing Agreement

The Kennedy Center has cited a competitively solicited cooperative purchasing agreement as the basis for its selection of ATSR. Cooperative purchasing allows eligible public agencies and other entities to buy services through contracts that have already been put out for competition.

ATSR holds an agreement with Sourcewell, a Minnesota government agency that manages cooperative purchasing contracts for public agencies and nonprofit entities across the country. ATSR advertises the arrangement on its website as a way for eligible buyers to begin work “in days, not months.”

The Kennedy Center has not identified the cooperative agreement it used, confirmed whether it relied on Sourcewell’s contract, or explained whether it considered other architecture firms. It also has not detailed how ATSR was judged to be the most qualified firm for the assignment.

Diane Palmer-Boeck, a procurement consultant and former purchasing official for Plano, Texas, said public agencies using cooperative contracts should still examine a vendor's qualifications, references, financial capacity and prices.

A Kennedy Center spokesman defended the appointment in an email, saying the institution followed its procurement policy and used a competitively solicited cooperative purchasing agreement.

“This approach enabled us to secure ATSR’s professional services with verified competitive pricing, maintain full procurement compliance, and mobilize qualified contractors efficiently without administrative delays or cost redundancies,” the spokesman said in an email.

ATSR referred questions about the appointment to the Kennedy Center, saying its contract prohibited the firm from commenting.

Congressional Contract Review

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which oversees the Kennedy Center, has questioned the institution's procurement policy changes. Whitehouse also serves on the center's board of trustees. He has alleged that the changes were adopted without board approval.

Whitehouse has also cited whistleblower allegations concerning millions of dollars in painting and flooring contracts. Those allegations include questions about whether contractors had the qualifications required for specialized stage-flooring work. The Kennedy Center has denied wrongdoing. The allegations do not involve ATSR.

Joshua Schwartz, a retired George Washington University professor who specialized in government-contracts law, said the Kennedy Center's written policies contain many safeguards found in federal procurement rules. He questioned, however, whether firms passed over for contracts could challenge the decisions.

The policy states that it creates no rights or benefits for outside parties, including firms that might have sought the work.

“On paper they say most of the right words, but it seems like they’re not enforceable,” Schwartz said.

Tillipman also questioned whether a process involving a single vendor could establish that the institution had obtained the best terms.

“If you call only one vendor, you don’t know if you’re getting the best price” or service, she said.

She also questioned the scope of the exception allowing officials to bypass competition when they identify a compelling business interest.

“You could drive a truck through that,” she said.

The questions raised by legal specialists and architects do not establish that ATSR lacked the qualifications for the assignment or that the Kennedy Center violated procurement law. The institution has defended its process but has not publicly explained how it assessed ATSR against other potential firms.

Becker said the Kennedy Center should explain the basis for its decision.

“What was it about this firm that made them the most qualified, or even among the most qualified for the assignment?” Becker said. “That’s a mystery.”

Renovation Plans

The $257 million renovation is expected to take about two years. Work will address aging electrical and mechanical systems, water damage, public spaces and theaters. Plans for the Concert Hall include new seating and flooring, along with an overhaul of its acoustics.

The project involves one of the country's best-known performing arts venues. Its renovation is funded with taxpayer money appropriated by Congress, placing the contract award and procurement process under scrutiny from lawmakers, preservation advocates and industry professionals.

The D.C. Preservation League is challenging the renovation in court. The Kennedy Center has defended its plans and the selection of ATSR, but has not publicly detailed how the firm was chosen over other potential candidates.