Papp's original plan to build one 1,200 seat central theater in the old building turned out to require costly alterations to original masonry walls, so the design was adapted to two 229-seat theaters. The main theater, a thrust-style space called the Anspacher, was built in what had been the library's reading room.
Papp initially envisioned constructing one large 1,200-seat central theater within the old building; however, this required significant renovations to the original walls. As a result, the design was revised to accommodate two smaller theaters with seating capacities of 229 each. The main theater, known as the Anspacher, was built in what had previously been the library's reading room.