About the Pentagon
The Pentagon, headquarters of the Department of Defense, 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. The National Capitol could fit into any one of the five wedge-shaped
sections. There are very few people throughout the United States who do not
have some knowledge of the Pentagon. Many have followed news stories emanating
from the defense establishment housed in this building. However, relatively few
people have had the opportunity to visit with us.
The Pentagon is virtually a city in itself. Approximately 23,000 employees,
both military and civilian, contribute to the planning and execution of the
defense of our country. These people arrive daily from Washington, D.C. and its
suburbs over approximately 30 miles of access highways, including express bus
lanes and one of the newest subway systems in our country. They ride past 200 acres
of lawn to park approximately 8,770 cars in 16 parking lots; climb 131
stairways or ride 19 escalators to reach offices that occupy 3,705,793 square
feet. While in the building, they tell time by 4,200 clocks, drink from 691
water fountains, utilize 284 rest rooms, consume 4,500 cups of coffee, 1,700
pints of milk and 6,800 soft drinks prepared or served by a restaurant staff of
230 persons and dispensed in 1 dining room, 2 cafeterias, 6 snack bars, and an
outdoor snack bar. The restaurant service is a privately run civilian operation
under contract to the Pentagon.
Over 200,000 telephone calls are made daily through phones connected by 100,000
miles of telephone cable. The Defense Post Office handles about 1,200,000
pieces of mail monthly. Various libraries support our personnel in research and
completion of their work. The Army Library alone provides 300,000 publications
and 1,700 periodicals in various languages.
Stripped of its occupants, furniture and various decorations, the building
alone is an extraordinary structure. 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. Despite 17.5 miles of corridors it takes only seven minutes to walk
between any two points in the building.
The original site was nothing more than wasteland, swamps and dumps. 5.5
million cubic yards of earth, and 41,492 concrete piles contributed to the
foundation of the building. Additionally, 680,000 tons of sand and gravel,
dredged from the nearby Potomac River, were processed into 435,000 cubic yards
of concrete and molded into the Pentagon form. The building was constructed in
the remarkably short time of 16 months and completed on January 15, 1943 at an
approximate cost of $83 million. It consolidated 17 buildings of the War
Department and returned its investment within seven years.
We hope this information will serve to eliminate some of the myths surrounding
the Pentagon and give an appreciation of the size of the building.
