The denial came hours before a court-ordered deadline to remove President Donald Trump’s name from the D.C. performing arts venue.

The board of the Kennedy Center is seeking to halt a judge’s ruling to strip Donald Trump’s from the arts institution, one day before a deadline to take the president’s name off the facade. The motion for a stay was filed late on Thursday,

Dark storm clouds gather over the Kennedy Center in the hours before a federal judge’s deadline to remove U.S. President Donald Trump's name from the facade of the John

A formal stay is expected to be filed on Friday after a federal judge had earlier ruled that only Congress could change the name of the center.

The center’s board of trustees on Thursday voted to seek a stay of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper’s directive to take Trump’s name off the center’s exterior by Friday.

The center asked for an extension just before midnight Friday, saying it expects to have the name removed by Saturday.

The president's move to appeal comes after a judge ruled that Trump's name had been added to the iconic DC building illegally and must be removed.

A judge has denied a request from the Kennedy Center to pause a ruling ordering President Donald Trump's name removed from building