The Charles E. Smith Athletic Center is a 4,338-seat multipurpose arena in Washington D.C.. It is home to the George Washington University Colonials men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the university's swimming, water polo, gymnastics, and volleyball teams. It is located on the main George Washington campus in Foggy Bottom, on the block bounded by 22nd and 23rd and F and G Streets NW. The arena also has hosted concerts and includes practice courts, a swimming pool, a weight room, and athletic department offices.
The building was named for Charles E. Smith, who was a university trustee and Chairman of the Committee on University Development at the time.
Beginning in February 2008, a $43 million update and expansion of the Smith Center is under way, due in part to a $10 million gift from the family of Charles E. Smith. Renovations were finished before the start of the 2010-2011 Basketball season. Improvements include:
- New team locker rooms
- A new seating chart for students and Athletic Director's Club members
- The Colonial's Club
- new scoreboards
- A new exterior design
- A new entranceway
- A new ticket booth
Famous quotes containing the words smith, athletic and/or center:
“A man’s real possession is his memory. In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor.”
—Alexander Smith (1830–1867)
“Being in a family is like being in a play. Each birth order position is like a different part in a play, with distinct and separate characteristics for each part. Therefore, if one sibling has already filled a part, such as the good child, other siblings may feel they have to find other parts to play, such as rebellious child, academic child, athletic child, social child, and so on.”
—Jane Nelson (20th century)
“Whenever there’s a big war coming on, you should rope off a big field. And on the big day, you should take all the kings and their cabinets and their generals, put ‘em in the center dressed in their underpants and let them fight it out with clubs. The best country wins.”
—Maxwell Anderson (1888–1959)