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Building, Institution, And Symbol

Face Of Defense: The Pentagon

The Pentagon, headquarters of the national defense establishment and the nerve center for command and control, is virtually a city within itself. The Pentagon presently houses approximately 26,000 military and civilian employees and about 3,000 non-defense support personnel dedicated to protecting our national interests.

The Pentagon — a building, institution, and symbol — was conceived at the request of Brigadier General Brehon B. Sommervell, Chief of the Construction Division of the Office of the Quartermaster General, on a weekend in mid-July 1941. The purpose was to provide a temporary solution to the War Department’s critical shortage of space. The rapidly expanding War Department envisioned a single structure in which to house all its components, as opposed to constructing multiple temporary structures as was then the practice. Congress, cautious about the size of the expenditure and the enormity of the project, but anxious about events in Europe and the Far East that could require U.S. military intervention, appropriated the funds necessary to construct the War Department’s new home (approximately $83 million) on August 14, 1941. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on September 11, 1941.

The original site chosen for the Pentagon was a tract of land known as Arlington Farms. The site was bordered by five roadways thus dictating the concept of a pentagonal shaped building. Fearing the enormous building would interfere with the view of Washington, D.C. from Arlington Cemetery, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt directed the building be moved three quarters of a mile down river. The new location chosen was at the site of the old Hoover Airport, a brick factory, a pickle factory, a race track, and a low-income residential area known as Hell’s Bottom. On this site, the final design concept of an open air court surrounded by five concentric pentagonal rings (or corridors) traversed by ten spoke-like corridors was constructed.

The architectural style of the Pentagon is Stripped Neo-Classical. The building was constructed out of reinforced concrete made from 380,000 tons of sand dredged from the Potomac River and supported by 41,492 concrete piles. The designers’ ingenuity not only created a building that reflected the architectural style of the nation’s Capitol but also saved enough steel to build one battleship. At the height of construction, over 1,000 architects worked in an adjacent hanger producing enough prints to supply the 14,000 construction workers and tradesmen. Three shifts worked 24 hours a day, every day, constructing the Pentagon wedge by wedge. These wedges were occupied as they came on-line. The building was dedicated on January 15, 1943, nearly 16 months to the day after the groundbreaking.

The Pentagon sits on 34 acres of land including the five acre center court, making a footprint large enough to accommodate five Capitol buildings. The Pentagon has 6,500,000 gross square feet of space, 7,754 windows, and 17 1/2 miles of corridor. In spite of the building’s tremendous size, it takes only seven minutes to walk between any two points of the building because of its unique design.

Pentagon Tours

The Pentagon tours program was established on May 17, 1976 to support the nation’s Bicentennial Celebration. Initially, the program was to last through the 4th of July and then be disbanded; however, internal support and public demand were so great that the program has been continued ever since.

The program, under the purview of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually. In July 1996, the Pentagon celebrated its two millionth visitor and broke an all time annual record in December of that same year. A new calendar year record was set again in 1997, with almost 150,000 visitors.

The tour route is approximately one and one half miles in length and lasts for approximately 90 minutes. Each tour consists of more than 20 pages of script that cover 20 items of interest to include the mission of the Department of Defense and each of its branches of service, and numerous displays that highlight and depict significant moments in military history.

The tours program is a joint service operation consisting of approximately 30 hand-picked, active duty personnel from the National Capital Region’s military ceremonial units. Upon arrival, each tour guide must successfully complete a two-week training course and an additional two weeks of on-the-job training. Tour guides are assigned to the program for a period of one year, after which time they rotate back to their respective units.

All guided tours of the Pentagon are free and are available to schools, educational organizations and other select groups by reservation only. Tours are conducted Monday through Friday during normal working hours. Tours are not conducted on weekends or Federal holidays. Groups interested in touring the Pentagon should contact the Pentagon Tour Office.

September 11, 2001 On Tuesday morning the U.S. is attacked by terrorists in New York City and Washington, and the world changes forever. Hijacked jetliners hit the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon outside Washington. A fourth hijacked plane crashes into a field in Pennsylvania. Trading on Wall Street is stopped. The Federal Aviation Administration halts all flight operations at the nation's airports for the first time in U.S. history. U.S. military is placed on high alert. President Bush addresses the nation and vows to "find those responsible and bring them to justice." Hundreds of New York City firemen and policemen sent to rescue WTC workers are lost when the WTC Twin Towers collapse. Reaction from international leaders is swift as world leaders react with outrage over the attacks. The Number of fatalities: World Trade Center Towers Flight 11 Flight 175 2,595 92 65 Pentagon Building Flight 77 125 64 Shanksville, PA Flight 93 45 Total 2,986

The Pentagon Renovation Program

The Pentagon has never undergone a major renovation and, after more than 55 years, renovation is essential in order to meet current health, fire, and life safety codes and provide reliable electrical, air conditioning, and ventilating services. Absent a major renovation, the building infrastructure will become increasingly unreliable and soon unable to effectively support the headquarters and nerve center of the national military establishment. Major building systems have deteriorated to such an extent that repairs are no longer effective and entire systems need replacement. The presence of asbestos in the ceiling plaster, ventilating ducts, pipes, and floor coverings is a hazard that makes repairs or alterations extremely disruptive and expensive.

From 1982 through 1990, the Department of Defense discussed with the General Services Administration (then owner of the building) renovation of the Pentagon and, in the mid 1980’s, GSA supported the concept of transferring the building to the DoD.

Based on consultation within the Administration and with Congressional Committees, legislation was prepared to transfer the Pentagon from the Administrator of General Services to the Secretary of Defense so that the renovation of the Pentagon could be undertaken.

The Defense Authorization Act of FY 1991 transferred control of the Pentagon Reservation from the Adminsistrator of General Services to the Secretary of Defense. Under the same Act, Congress established the Pentagon Reservation Maintenance Revolving Fund for the expressed intent of renovating the Pentagon. This Act allows the Secretary of Defense to establish rent rates for the tenants to support the renovation.

In 1990, a Concept Plan for the Pentagon Renovation was approved based on renovating the building in five 1,000,000 gross-square-foot "wedges" with renovation of the basement as a separate endeavor. The plan envisioned the complete removal of all support systems (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) down to the base structure and then construction of all new systems. This full-scale removal is dictated by the wide-spread presence of asbestos throughout the building. Removal of plumbing systems is based on the high probability of catastrophic failure.

The Renovation Program provides all new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, sprinkler systems, vertical transportation, cable management systems, improvements in fire and life safety systems, and flexible ceiling, lighting, and partition systems. The renovation will also provide accessibility throughout for persons with disabilities and will include the addition of over 50 elevators. It will preserve historic elements, upgrade food service facilities, construct co-located operation centers, install modern telecommunications support features, comply with energy conservation and environmental requirements, reorganize materials handling, and provide safety improvements in vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

The renovation concept for the Pentagon includes, as a first phase, a new Heating and Refrigeration Plant (H&RP), which has been constructed. In conjunction with construction of the H&RP, a Center Courtyard Utilities Tunnel was constructed. The tunnel houses piping and conduit, which will distribute building utilities provided by the new plant. The utilities tunnel will be connected as each wedge is renovated.

The second phase of the Program involves the renovation of the Basement and Mezzanine, which started in September 1994. One third of the Basement has been renovated with many areas now occupied. The original basement slab was lowered in order to accommodate an entirely new level between the basement and the first floor. When completed, this new Mezzanine level will add close to 320,000 square feet of office space to the Pentagon.

The third through seventh phases of the program are the five wedges of the building from the first floor to the fifth floor. These areas have been determined to be the optimum divisions for renovation while continuing operations. In order to vacate each wedge prior to renovation, tenants will be moved either to nearby leased office space or to space identified within the Pentagon.

Wedge I, the area served by Corridors 3 and 4, was completely vacated by January 1999 as more than 5,000 personnel were relocated to leased office space or elsewhere in the Pentagon. Demolition and abatement activities began in January 1998 and will be completed by mid 1999. The construction contractor is installing all new utilities and will build up the wedge. Tenants may begin moving back into the wedge as early as the summer of 2000. Construction in Wedge I is expected to be completed in December 2000.

Another major project underway is the South Terrace Pedestrian Bridge structure. This renovation activity involves the construction of two pedestrian bridges that will link the Pentagon directly to the South Parking Lot. The Corridor 2 Bridge is nearing completion and has provided safe access for pedestrians since the spring of 1999. Two elevators in each bridge will provide accessibility for persons with disabilities. Once the bridges are completed, the 7,000 personnel that enter and exit the Pentagon along the South Terrace each day will no longer compete with three lanes of traffic when entering or exiting the Pentagon.

On January 15, 1997, as required by Congress, the Pentagon’s Director for Administration and Management certified that the design, construction, and installation of (building) equipment would not exceed $1,118,000,000. Overall, the impact of the Pentagon Renovation Program can now be seen throughout the building. When completed, all of the Pentagon’s 23,000 military and civilian personnel will be able to work in a safe, professional, and flexible office environment that is being built to endure well into the 21st century.

The Pentagon is one of the world's largest office buildings. It is twice the size of the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, and has three times the floor space of the Empire State Building in New York. Built during the early years of World War II, it is still thought of as one of the most efficient office buildings in the world. On October 5, 1992, the Pentagon had been designated as a National Historical Landmark. This designation also automatically placed the Pentagon in the National Register of Historic Places.

Inside the Pentagon National Geographic gives you ''Top Secret'' access to the nerve center of the U.S. Military. From its frenzied construction during the height of World War II to the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the ensuing war on terrorism, get an intimate view of the history and intrigue of the headquarters for the United States Military. Inside the Pentagon is a fascinating, intimate view of the Pentagon's triumphs, defeats, and challenges.

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