<P> Williams Arena was used for the filming of scenes in Columbia Pictures' 1978 motion picture release, Ice Castles . </P> <P> The building has an arched roof, in the same manner as an airplane hangar . The double arch steel beams allows an open space for the bleachers and floor . There are some seats with partially obscured views due to the upper deck extending past the trusses . Over the summer of 2012, a new Daktronics videoboard and fascia displays were installed as part of a sporting facility update, replacing the older board . The new board is 11'7 "x13'8" with LED rings above and below the main display . The fascia extends 360 ° around the arena . </P> <P> Williams Arena features an unusual raised floor design . The court surface is raised above the ground approximately two feet so that players' benches, officials tables, etc., are actually below the court . The same goes for fans with the first row looking at players at about knee - level . Normally, other than the officials and those players actively playing, only head coaches are allowed to be on the court itself . The raised floor is one of only a few remaining examples left and contributes significantly to the historic aura of the 80 - year - old arena . This served as the inspiration for the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship to host stadiums for their Final Four as of 2009 to have the floor about three feet off the stadium floor as part of an increased capacity to a minimum of 70,000 . The floor in Williams Arena recently underwent a replacement . PCL Construction began work on May 11, 2009, replacing the original playing surface from 1928 with a new floor along with new basketball goals . This was the first major upgrade to the facility since a renovation occurred in the early 1990s . Memorial Gymnasium at Vanderbilt University and Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University are two other existing arenas with a raised floor . Robertson Memorial Field House at Bradley University, since demolished, also used a raised floor . </P> <Table> Seating capacity <Tr> <Td> 1928--1950 </Td> <Td> 14,100 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1950--1971 </Td> <Td> 18,025 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1971--1987 </Td> <Td> 17,500 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1987--1993 </Td> <Td> 16,434 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1993--1997 </Td> <Td> 14,321 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1997--present </Td> <Td> 14,625 </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Why is the floor raised at williams arena