Pentagon sides
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In the 1930s, a large complex was commissioned and constructed in Washington’s D.C. Foggy Bottom neighborhood to house the ever-growing U.S. War Department, but before it was even completed, the army determined it to be too small for its needs (this building is now home to the U.S. State Department). As the ranks of the War Department continued to swell, they began to branch out across the city and were eventually being housed in 17 different buildings.
In early 1941, Brigadier General Brehon Somervell, head of the construction branch of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps, was tasked with finding a permanent solution to the space problem. On July 17, Somervell met with architect George Bergstrom, giving him just three days to come up with a design that would accommodate 40,000 employees and 10,000 cars.
2. It owes its unique shape to a different planned location.
Several sites were considered for the new military complex. The original choice was a sprawling stretch of land just to the east of Arlington Cemetery, on land that once belonged to Confederate General R
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The Pentagon
Headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense in Arlington, Virginia
For other uses, see The Pentagon (disambiguation).
| The Pentagon | |
|---|---|
A view of The Pentagon from above the Potomac River in 2018 | |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival, Modern, and Stripped Classicism |
| Location | Richmond Hwy./VA 110 at I-395, Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 38°52′15″N77°03′18″W / 38.87083°N 77.05500°W / 38.87083; -77.05500 |
| Construction started | 11 September 1941 (1941-09-11) |
| Completed | 15 January 1943 (1943-01-15) |
| Cost | $83 million (equivalent to $1.33 billion in 2023)[1] |
| Owner | United States Department of Defense |
| Roof | 77 ft (23 m)[2] |
| Floor count | 7 (2 underground) |
| Floor area | 6,636,360 sq ft (620,000 m2) |
| Architect(s) | George Bergstrom David J. Witmer |
| Main contractor | John McShain, Inc. |
| Parking | 67 acres (27 ha) |
Pentagon Office Building Complex | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
Virginia Landm
War Department Looks for a HomeOn May 27, 1941, three weeks after Germany’s surprise attack on the Soviet Union, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared a state of national emergency. World War II was in full swing, and Adolf Hitler‘s Nazi Germany had already occupied much of continental Europe. The U.S. War Department was growing rapidly, with 24,000 personnel scattered among 17 buildings in Washington, D.C. By the beginning of the next year, that number was expected to reach 30,000.
Roosevelt himself had personally approved construction of a new War Department facility at 21st Street in the city’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood. Built for $18 million, it was set to open in June 1941. By that time, however, the building was deemed far too small. (In 1947, it would become the headquarters of the U.S. State Department.) General George C. Marshall, the Army’s chief of staff, turned to Brigadier General Brehon B. Somervell, head Copyright ©oakvibe.pages.dev 2025 | |