The Pentagon

Guide Note

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense and is located in Arlington, Virginia. As a symbol of the US military, the phrase "the Pentagon" is often used to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.

The Pentagon is one of the world's largest office buildings. It houses approximately 23,000 military and civilian employees and about 3,000 non-defense support personnel. It has five sides, five floors above ground, two basement levels, and five ring corridors per floor for a total of 17.5 miles of corridors.

The central plaza, informally referred to as "ground zero," based on the presumption that it would be a target for a Soviet nuclear missile, totals five acres and contains a snack bar called the "Ground Zero Cafe."

Fast Facts

1. Construction completed in 1943
2. 200,000 phone calls made daily
3. Contains 691 water fountains
4. Designer: George Edwin Bergstrom

The building was dedicated on January 15, 1943 after ground was broken for construction on September 11, 1941. It was designed by Architect George Edwin Bergstrom and built by Philadelphia, Pennsylvania general contractor John McShain. Colonel Leslie Groves, who later administrated the Manhattan Project, oversaw its construction from 1940 to 1942.