It was intended to replace 17 other buildings that were being used in Washington DC. Even though it was thought the building would later be used for some other purpose, the Department of Defense has occupied the Pentagon continuously since 1943.
History
The Pentagon’s was designed by architect George Bergstrom and the plan was supported by Brigadier General Brehon B. Somervell. President Roosevelt approved the plans and Congress approved a supplemental appropriations bill of $35 million for the project. Ground was broken for the Pentagon in 1941. During 1942, though the building remained unfinished, personnel began using the Pentagon. Construction was finished in early 1943 and the building went into full use.
Function
The Pentagon serves as the Department of Defense’s headquarters. It houses offices and provides a core operational center for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary of Defense, and the Under Secretaries of Defense. It is used by the Assistant Secretaries of Defense as well as the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. It is the central hub of planning for the defense of the US and has extensive libraries; some of the library materials are available to the public.
Geography
The Pentagon is a unique building and it can only be seen by visiting the Washington DC area. It is not located physically inside of Washington DC, but rather across the Potomac River. It was originally suggested that the Pentagon be built on Arlington Farms, a Department of Agriculture site. Roosevelt decided that it should be built in its present location, some 3/4 of a mile southeast of the Arlington Farms site. The Pentagon borders the Arlington National Cemetery.
Size
In addition to being the largest federal building in the US, the Pentagon is one of the largest office buildings in the world. Its total floor area is over 6.5 million square feet and it has over 70 million cubic feet of space. It has 17.5 miles of corridors. The length of each outer wall is 921 ft and the building is just over 77 feet high. The Pentagon has five floors, an underground basement, and a mezzanine.
Features
The Pentagon’s shape is its single most distinguishing figure. It was designed that way to accommodate the original build site but the shape was retained at Roosevelt’s request. Despite its size, it only takes about seven to ten minutes to walk from the most distant points of the building. It has a 5 acre courtyard. It has twice the number of necessary rest rooms, 284, because of the segregation laws in Virginia during its construction.
