The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., has announced a $20 million gift from the Boeing Company in support of a planned expansion project.

The gift from Boeing, which will become the exclusive corporate underwriter of the $125 million project, will be used to create spaces in which visitors can more actively engage with artists, as well as new rehearsal, education, and multi-use indoor and outdoor event and performance spaces. In addition, a pedestrian bridge connecting the center's South Plaza to the Rock Creek Parkway pedestrian path will improve access to the venue and expand its connection to the river. Demolition and land preparation for the project, which was designed by Steven Holl Architects in partnership with BNIM Architects of Kansas City, is expected to get under way later this year.

Boeing has been a supporter of the Kennedy Center since 1972. In 2002, the company sponsored the National Symphony Orchestra's European Tour to the tune of $1 million and in 2004 it committed to a five-year, multimillion-dollar sponsorship of the center's Spring Gala and became the exclusive underwriter of its Honors Gala.

"Boeing is a true friend of the Kennedy Center," said Kennedy Center chair David M. Rubenstein, who kicked off the campaign for the expansion project in 2013 with a $50 million gift. "This remarkable gift will help ensure that the expansion project achieves its goal of making the Kennedy Center more accessible, versatile, and compelling to future generations. We are deeply grateful."