The Pentagon

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed quickly during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the name The Pentagon is often used as a metonym for the Department of Defense and its leadership.

The building was designed by American architect George Bergstrom and built by contractor John McShain. Ground was broken on 11 September 1941, and the building was dedicated on 15 January 1943. General Brehon Somervell gave the project its major push to win approval from Congress. Colonel Leslie Groves oversaw the project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which supervised it.

The Pentagon is the world's third-largest office building. It has about 6.5 million square feet (600,000 m²) of floor space, and about 3.7 million square feet (340,000 m²) of that is used as offices. The building has five sides, five floors above ground, and two basement levels. About 23,000 military and civilian employees work there, along with about 3,000 non-defense support personnel.

In 2001, the Pentagon was damaged during the 11 September attacks. Five al-Qaeda hijackers flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the western side of the building, and 184 other people were killed, including 59 on the airplane and 125 in the Pentagon. It was the first significant foreign attack on federal facilities in the capital area since the Burning of Washington during the War of 1812. After the attacks, the western side of the building was repaired, and a small indoor memorial and chapel were added at the point of impact.

In 2008, an outdoor memorial dedicated to the Pentagon victims of the 11 September attacks was opened directly southwest of the building.

Layout and facilities

See also: Hypocenter § The Pentagon

The Pentagon covers 28.7 acres, and it has a central courtyard of 5.1 acres. Starting on the north side and moving clockwise, its five entrances are the Mall Terrace, the River Terrace, the Concourse (or Metro Station), the South Parking, and the Pentagon Army Heliport. The main visitor entrance is on the southeast side, near the Pentagon Metro station and the bus station. A landing dock on the River Entrance was used until the late 1960s to carry staff between Bolling Air Force Base and the building. The west side faces Washington Boulevard. Just south are Pentagon City and Crystal City, and Arlington National Cemetery is to the north. The building is surrounded by the Pentagon road network.

Inside, the rings are labeled "A" through "E" from the center outward, and room numbers give the floor, ring, and office number. The basement floors are labeled "B" and the Mezzanine is labeled "M." It is possible to walk between any two points in less than ten minutes, and the building has places to eat, exercise, meditate, and pray. Although the Pentagon is in Arlington County, Virginia, it has six Washington, D.C., ZIP Codes. The U.S. secretary of defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the four service branches each have their own ZIP Code.

History

Before the Pentagon was built, the Department of War worked out of the Munitions Building on Constitution Avenue beside the National Mall. The department, which ran the U.S. Army, was spread across many other buildings nearby. A new War Department Building in Foggy Bottom did not solve the space problem, and it later became the headquarters of the Department of State. When World War II broke out in Europe in 1939, the department grew quickly. In May 1941, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson told Franklin D. Roosevelt that more space was needed, and Brehon Somervell was asked to make a plan.

The new building was to be built in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It could be no more than four stories tall and use little steel, so it spread out over a wide area. Its first planned site, Arlington Farms, gave it an irregular pentagon shape. Roosevelt then chose the Hoover Field site so the building would not block the view from Arlington National Cemetery, and the design became a regular pentagon, something like star forts constructed during the gunpowder age. Congress approved the funding, and Somervell chose contractors, including John McShain, Inc. of Philadelphia. The Hell's Bottom neighborhood around Columbia Pike was cleared to make room for the building.

Contracts were finalized on 11 September 1941, and ground was broken that same day. Because steel was in short supply, the Pentagon was built of reinforced concrete, and its outside walls used Indiana limestone. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, pressure to finish the building grew. Construction was completed on 15 January 1943.

The Pentagon was first designed to follow the racial segregation laws of Virginia, with separate eating areas for white and Black workers. In May 1942, Jimmy Harold, a Black worker, refused to eat in the Blacks-only cafeteria, and a violent confrontation followed. Judge William Hastie helped get an investigation started, and Somervell ordered an end to enforced segregation in the cafeterias. Roosevelt later ordered "Whites Only" signs removed, so the Pentagon became the only building in Virginia where segregation laws were not enforced.

The Hall of Heroes, opened in 1968, honors the more than 3,460 recipients of the Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military award. Versions of the medal for the Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard, and for the Air Force and Space Force, are on display. The Hall is also used for promotions, retirements, and other ceremonies.

Main article: Pentagon Renovation Program

From 1998 to 2011, the Pentagon was rebuilt in phases to meet modern standards and improve security and efficiency, and Asbestos was removed. Originally, most offices were open bays cooled by cross-ventilation. Over time, many bays were divided into private offices using window air conditioning units. With the renovations complete, the building has returned to open office bays with standardized furniture and partitions.