On March 14, 1940, Coach Bill Reinhart of the George Washington University basketball team was critical of the design: there were too many seats behind the backboards and not enough on the sidelines. On March 20, the architect, Joe Harry Lapish, responded to the criticism by stating that the arena would be able to house between 6,500 and 7,000 basketball spectators including 4,500 to 5,000 highly desirable seats on the sidelines.
In March 1940, Coach Bill Reinhart expressed concerns about the design of the basketball arena, specifically regarding the seating arrangement. Architect Joe Harry Lapish responded by promising to address these concerns and ensure that the arena could accommodate a large number of spectators, including a significant number of desirable seats on the sidelines.