View source for The Pentagon

{{Short description|Headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense in Arlington, Virginia}}
{{other uses}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox building
| name             = The Pentagon
| alternate_names  = 
| image            = The Pentagon, cropped square.png
| image_alt        = 
| image_size       = 240px
| caption          = A view of The Pentagon from above the [[Potomac River]] in 2018
| altitude         = 
| building_type    = 
| architectural_style = [[Neoclassical architecture|Classical Revival]], [[Modern architecture|Modern]], and [[Stripped Classicism]]
| structural_system = 
| cost             = $83 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US-GDP|83000000|1941}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}}){{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}
| ren_cost         = 
| client           = 
| owner            = [[United States Department of Defense]]
| current_tenants  = 
| landlord         = 
| location         = Richmond Hwy./[[Virginia State Route 110|VA 110]] at [[Interstate 395 (Virginia–District of Columbia)|I-395]], [[Arlington County, Virginia]], U.S.
| address          = 
| location_town    = 
| location_country = 
| coordinates      = {{coord|38|52|15|N|77|03|18|W|type:landmark_region:US-VA|display=inline,title}}
| mapframe         = no
| groundbreaking_date = 
| start_date       = {{start date|1941|9|11|df=yes|p=yes|br=yes}}
| completion_date  = {{start date|1943|1|15|df=yes|p=yes|br=yes}}
| opened_date      = 
| inauguration_date = 
| renovation_date  = 
| demolition_date  = 
| destruction_date = 
| architectural    = 
| tip              = 
| antenna_spire    = 
| roof             = {{cvt|77|ft}}<ref name="tours">{{cite web |title=Facts: Navigating The Pentagon |url=https://pentagontours.osd.mil/Tours/ |work=pentagontours.osd.mil |access-date=10 January 2018 |archive-date=11 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111165041/https://pentagontours.osd.mil/Tours/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| top_floor        = 
| observatory      = 
| floor_count      = 7 (2 underground)
| floor_area       = {{cvt|6636360|sqft|lk=in|sigfig=2}}
| other_dimensions = Sides:
* 5 (1943-2001)
* 4 (2001-2002)
* 5 (2002-present)
| seating_type     = 
| seating_capacity = 
| elevator_count   = 
| architect        = [[George Bergstrom]]<br>David J. Witmer
| architecture_firm = 
| structural_engineer = 
| services_engineer = 
| civil_engineer   = 
| other_designers  = 
| quantity_surveyor = 
| main_contractor  = [[John McShain]], Inc.
| awards           = 
| designations     = 
| ren_architect    = 
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| parking          = {{cvt|67|acre}}
| url              = 
| embedded         = {{Infobox NRHP
|name                  = Pentagon Office Building Complex
|embed                 = yes
|nrhp_type             = 
|designated_other1     = Virginia Landmarks Register
|designated_other1_date = 18 April 1989<ref name="VLR list">{{cite web |title=Virginia Landmarks Register |url=http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/register_counties_cities.htm |url-status=dead |publisher=Virginia Department of Historic Resources |access-date=12 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053819/http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/register_counties_cities.htm |archive-date=21 September 2013}}</ref>
|designated_other1_number = 000-0072
|designated_other1_num_position = bottom
|image                 = 
|caption               = 
|mapframe              = yes
|mapframe-stroke-width = 3
|mapframe-point        = on
|mapframe-zoom         = 9
|built                 = 
|added                 = 27 July 1988
|area                  = 
|refnum                = 89000932<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
}}
}}

'''The Pentagon''' is the headquarters building of the [[United States Department of Defense]], in [[Arlington County, Virginia]],<!--Arlington is a county, and this must be conveyed by including the "county"--> across the [[Potomac River]] from [[Washington, D.C.]] The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during [[World War II]]. As a symbol of the [[United States Armed Forces|U.S. military]], the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a [[metonym]] for the Department of Defense and its leadership.

The building was designed by American architect [[George Bergstrom]] and built by contractor [[John McShain]]. Ground was broken on 11 September 1941, and the building was dedicated on 15 January 1943. General [[Brehon Somervell]] provided the major impetus to gain Congressional approval for the project;{{sfnp|Vogel|2007|p={{page needed|date=May 2020}}}} Colonel [[Leslie Groves]] was responsible for overseeing the project for the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]], which supervised it.

The Pentagon is [[List of largest office buildings|the world's second-largest office building]], with about {{convert|6.5|e6ft2|m2}} of floor space, {{convert|3.7|e6ft2|m2}} of which are used as offices.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hancock |first=Michaila |title=Pentagon: the world's largest office building - in infographics |url=http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/pentagon-the-worlds-largest-office-building-in-infographics |website=The Architects' Journal |date=27 August 2015 |access-date=27 February 2021 |archive-date=15 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115120127/https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/pentagon-the-worlds-largest-office-building-in-infographics |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="faf">{{cite web |title=The Pentagon, Facts & Figures |url=https://pentagontours.osd.mil/facts.jsp |url-status=dead |access-date=23 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819131241/https://pentagontours.osd.mil/facts.jsp |archive-date=19 August 2014}}</ref> It has five sides, five floors above ground, two basement levels, and five ring corridors per floor with a total of {{cvt|17.5|mi}}<ref name="faf"/> of corridors, with a central {{cvt|5|acre|adj=on|spell=in}}<!--five-acre (20,000&nbsp;m<sup>2</sup>)--> pentagonal plaza. About 23,000 military and civilian employees work in the Pentagon, as well as about 3,000 non-defense support personnel.<ref name="faf"/>

In 2001, the Pentagon was damaged during the September 11 attacks. Five [[Al-Qaeda]] hijackers flew [[American Airlines Flight 77]] into the western side of the building, killing themselves and 184 other people, including 59 on the airplane and 125 in the Pentagon.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stone |first=Andrea |date=August 20, 2002 |title=Military's aid and comfort ease 9/11 survivors' burden |work=USA TODAY |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002-08-20-pentagon_x.htm |access-date=September 12, 2021 |archive-date=11 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311101856/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002-08-20-pentagon_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> It was the first significant foreign attack on federal facilities in the capital area since the [[burning of Washington]] during the [[War of 1812]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Bladensburg |url=https://www.battlefields.org/learn/war-1812/battles/bladensburg |website=[[American Battlefield Trust]] |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=en}}</ref> Following the attacks, the western side of the building was repaired, with a small indoor memorial and chapel added at the point of impact. The coordinated attacks, which killed 2,977 people, were the [[List of major terrorist incidents|deadliest terrorist attack in history]].
 
In 2009, an [[Pentagon Memorial|outdoor memorial]] dedicated to the Pentagon victims of the September 11 attacks was opened directly southwest of the Pentagon.

==Layout and facilities==
The Pentagon building spans {{cvt|28.7|acre|m2}}, and includes an additional {{cvt|5.1|acre|m2}} as a central courtyard.{{sfnp|Goldberg|1992|p=57}}

Starting with the north side and moving [[clockwise]], its five façade entrances are the Mall Terrace, the River Terrace, the Concourse (or Metro Station), the South Parking, and the Heliport.{{cn|date=December 2022}} On the north side of the building, the Mall Entrance, which also features a portico, leads out to a {{cvt|600|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} terrace that is used for ceremonies. The River Entrance, which features a portico projecting out {{cvt|20|ft|0|spell=in}}, is on the northeast side, overlooking the lagoon and facing Washington. A stepped terrace on the River Entrance leads down to the lagoon; and a landing dock was used until the late 1960s to ferry personnel between [[Bolling Air Force Base]] and the Pentagon.{{sfnp|Goldberg|1992|p=57}} The main entrance for visitors is on the southeast side, as are the [[Pentagon (Washington Metro)|Pentagon Metro station]] and the bus station.

There is also a concourse on the southeast side of the second floor of the building, which contains a mini-shopping mall. The south parking lot adjoins the southwest façade, and the west side of the Pentagon faces [[Washington Boulevard (Arlington)|Washington Boulevard]].

The concentric rings are designated from the center out as "A" through "E" with additional "F" and "G" rings in the basement. "E" Ring offices are the only ones with outside views and are generally occupied by senior officials. Office numbers go clockwise around each of the rings, and have two parts: a nearest-corridor number (1 to 10), followed by a bay number (00 to 99), so office numbers range from 100 to 1099. These corridors radiate out from the central courtyard, with corridor 1 beginning with the Concourse's south end. Each numbered radial corridor intersects with the corresponding numbered group of offices. Corridor 5, for instance, divides the 500 series office block. There are a number of historical displays in the building, particularly in the "A" and "E" rings.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}

Subterranean floors in the Pentagon are lettered "B" for Basement and "M" for [[Mezzanine (architecture)|Mezzanine]]. The concourse is on the second floor at the Metro entrance. Above-ground floors are numbered 1 to 5. Room numbers are given as the floor, concentric ring, and office number (which is in turn the nearest corridor number followed by the bay number). Thus, office 2B315 is on the second floor, B ring, and nearest to corridor 3 (between corridors 2 and 3). One way to get to this office would be to go to the second floor, get to the A (innermost) ring, go to and take corridor 3, and then turn left on ring B to get to bay 15.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hqda.army.mil/aoguide/Pentagon_Map.htm |title=How to Find a Room in the Pentagon |access-date=13 September 2007 |publisher=Headquarters, Dept. of the Army |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070921023919/http://www.hqda.army.mil/aoguide/Pentagon_Map.htm |archive-date=21 September 2007}}</ref>

It is possible to walk between any two points in the Pentagon in less than ten minutes, though the optimal route may involve a brisk walk, routing through the open-air central courtyard, or both.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-pentagon |title=9 Things You May Not Know About the Pentagon |date=24 September 2019 |publisher=History.com |access-date=30 January 2021 |archive-date=19 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119053431/https://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-pentagon |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="roulo"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/04/pentagon.shooting/index.html |publisher=CNN |title=Man shoots 2 officers outside Pentagon |access-date=25 May 2010 |date=5 March 2010 |archive-date=8 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408135530/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/04/pentagon.shooting/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The complex includes eating and exercise facilities as well as meditation and prayer rooms.

Just south of the Pentagon are [[Pentagon City, Virginia|Pentagon City]] and [[Crystal City, Virginia|Crystal City]], extensive shopping, business, and high-density residential districts in [[Arlington, Virginia|Arlington]]. [[Arlington National Cemetery]] is to the north. The Pentagon is surrounded by the relatively complex [[Pentagon road network]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Mixing_Bowl.html |title=Mixing Bowl Interchange Complex |publisher=roadstothefuture.com |access-date=22 November 2006 |archive-date=31 August 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000831062304/http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Mixing_Bowl.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Pentagon has six Washington, D.C., [[ZIP Code]]s despite its location in [[Arlington County, Virginia]]. The U.S. Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the four service branches each have their own ZIP Code.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pentagontours.osd.mil/facts-zip.jsp |title=Facts & Figures: Zip Codes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819090256/https://pentagontours.osd.mil/facts-zip.jsp |archive-date=19 August 2014}}</ref>
[[File:Pentagon.jpg|thumb|upright=2.75|center|A view of The Pentagon from the south in September 2007]]

==History==
===Background===
[[File:Mainnavy-munitions.jpg|thumb|The main Navy Building (foreground) and the [[Munitions Building]] were temporary structures built during [[World War I]] on the [[National Mall]]. The [[United States Department of War|Department of War]] was headquartered in the Munitions Building for several years before moving into the Pentagon.]]
Until the Pentagon was built, the [[United States Department of War]] was headquartered in the [[Munitions Building]], a temporary structure erected during [[World War I]] along [[Constitution Avenue]] on the [[National Mall]]. The War Department, which was a civilian agency created to administer the [[U.S. Army]], was spread out in additional temporary buildings on the National Mall, as well as dozens of other buildings in Washington, D.C., [[Maryland]] and [[Virginia]]. In the late 1930s, during the Great Depression and federal construction program, a [[Harry S Truman Building|new War Department Building]] was constructed at 21st and C Streets in [[Foggy Bottom]] but, upon completion, the new building did not solve the department's space problem. It became the headquarters of the [[United States Department of State|Department of State]].{{sfnp|Goldberg|1992|pp=6–9}}

When [[World War II]] broke out in Europe in 1939, the War Department rapidly expanded to deal with current issues and in anticipation that the United States would be drawn into the conflict. Secretary of War [[Henry L. Stimson]] found the situation unacceptable, with the Munitions Building overcrowded and department offices spread out in additional sites.<ref>{{cite web |title=Intro – Secretaries of War and Secretaries of the Army |publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] |year=1992 |url=http://www.history.army.mil/books/Sw-SA/Intro.htm |access-date=18 October 2008 |archive-date=28 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228174829/http://www.history.army.mil/books/Sw-SA/Intro.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Main Navy & Munitions Buildings |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pl-usa/pl-dc/nav-fac/mn-mun.htm |access-date=17 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011005072618/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pl-usa/pl-dc/nav-fac/mn-mun.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 October 2001 |publisher=[[Naval History & Heritage Command]]}}</ref>

Stimson told U.S. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] in May 1941 that the War Department needed additional space. On 17 July 1941, a congressional hearing took place, organized by Representative [[Clifton Woodrum]] (D-VA), regarding proposals for new War Department buildings. Woodrum pressed Brigadier General [[Eugene Reybold]], who represented the War Department at the hearing, for an "overall solution" to the department's "space problem", rather than building yet more temporary buildings. Reybold agreed to report back to  Congress within five days. The War Department called upon its construction chief, General [[Brehon Somervell]], to come up with a plan.{{sfnp|Vogel|2007|pp=29–33}}

===Planning===
[[File:Pentagon road network map 1945.jpg|thumb|A 1945 map of the [[Pentagon road network]], including present-day [[State Route 27 (Virginia)|State Route 27]], part of [[Shirley Highway]], and the [[Main Navy and Munitions Buildings]] near the [[Lincoln Memorial]]]]
Government officials agreed that the War Department building, officially designated Federal Office Building No 1, should be constructed in [[Arlington County, Virginia]], across the [[Potomac River]] from Washington, D.C. Requirements for the new building were that it be no more than four stories tall, and that it use a minimal amount of steel to reserve that resource for war needs. The requirements meant that, instead of rising vertically, the building would be sprawling over a large area. Possible sites for the building included the [[United States Department of Agriculture|Department of Agriculture]]'s [[Arlington Experimental Farm]], adjacent to [[Arlington National Cemetery]], and the obsolete [[Hoover Field]] site.{{sfnp|Vogel|2007|pp=35–37}}

The site first chosen was [[Arlington Farms]], which had an asymmetric, roughly pentagonal shape, so the building was planned accordingly as an irregular pentagon.<ref>{{cite news |title=History of the Pentagon Network |author=F.W. Cron |publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Public Roads |date=25 October 1960}} Via {{cite web |first=Scott M. |last=Kozel |title=Pentagon Road System |work=Roads to the Future |date=1997-08-14 |url=http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Shirley_Highway.html#Pentagon_Road_System |access-date=17 February 2006 |archive-date=16 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916232647/http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Shirley_Highway.html#Pentagon_Road_System |url-status=live }}</ref> Concerned that the new building could obstruct the view of Washington, D.C., from Arlington Cemetery, President Roosevelt selected the Hoover Airport site instead.<ref>{{cite web |title=General Information |url=http://www.dtic.mil/ref/html/Welcome/general.html |access-date=4 December 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051129013448/http://www.dtic.mil/ref/html/Welcome/general.html |archive-date=29 November 2005}}</ref> The building retained the pentagonal layout because Roosevelt liked it and a major redesign at that stage would have been costly. Freed of the constraints of the Arlington Farms site, the building was modified as a [[Regular polygon|regular]] [[pentagon]]. It resembled [[star fort]]s [[Fortification#Development after introduction of firearms|constructed during the gunpowder age]].<ref>{{cite news |title=How the Pentagon Got Its Shape |first=Steve |last=Vogel |date=27 May 2007a |page=W16 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=26 May 2007 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/23/AR2007052301296_pf.html |archive-date=5 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105172831/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/23/AR2007052301296_pf.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 28 July, [[77th United States Congress|Congress]] authorized funding for a new Department of War building in [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington]], which would house the entire department under one roof.{{sfnp|Goldberg|1992|p=22}} [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|President Roosevelt]] officially approved the Hoover Airport site on 2 September.{{sfnp|Goldberg|1992|p=33}} While the project went through the approval process in late July 1941, Somervell selected the contractors, including John McShain, Inc. of [[Philadelphia]], which had built [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington National Airport]] in Arlington, the [[Jefferson Memorial]] in Washington, and the [[National Naval Medical Center]] in [[Bethesda, Maryland]], along with Wise Contracting Company, Inc. and Doyle and Russell, both from Virginia.{{sfnp|Goldberg|1992|p=29}} In addition to the Hoover Airport site and other government-owned land, construction of the Pentagon required an additional {{cvt|287|acre|km2}}, which were acquired at a cost of $2.2&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|2200000|1941}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}).{{sfnp|Goldberg|1992|p=34}} The Hell's Bottom neighborhood, consisting of numerous pawnshops, factories, approximately 150 homes, and other buildings around [[Virginia State Route 244|Columbia Pike]], was cleared to make way for the Pentagon.{{sfnp|Vogel|2007|p=131}} Later, {{cvt|300|acre|km2}} of land were transferred to [[Arlington National Cemetery]] and to [[Fort Myer]], leaving {{cvt|280|acre|km2}} for the Pentagon.{{sfnp|Goldberg|1992|p=34}}

===Construction===
{{Building and ship comparison to the Pentagon2|The Pentagon (light blue)}}
Contracts totaling $31,100,000 (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|31100000|1941}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}) were finalized with McShain and the other contractors on 11 September 1941, and ground was broken for the Pentagon the same day.{{sfnp|Goldberg|1992|pp=35, 44}} Among the design requirements, Somervell required that the structural design accommodate floor loads of up to {{cvt|150|psi}}, in case the building became a records storage facility after the end of the war.{{sfnp|Goldberg|1992|p=33}} A minimal amount of steel was used as it was in short supply. Instead, the Pentagon was built as a reinforced concrete structure, using 680,000 tons of sand dredged from the [[Potomac River]]; a lagoon was also created beneath the Pentagon's river entrance.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Rare, Unseen: Building the Pentagon |magazine=Life |url=http://www.life.com/gallery/63331/rare-unseen-building-the-pentagon#index/4 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926133401/http://www.life.com/gallery/63331/rare-unseen-building-the-pentagon#index/4 |archive-date=26 September 2011}}</ref> To minimize steel usage, concrete ramps were built rather than installing elevators.<ref>{{cite news |last=McGrath |first=Amanda |title=How The Pentagon Got Its Shape (Gallery) |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=26 May 2007 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/070524/GAL-07May24-75314/index.html?hpid=artslot |access-date=3 September 2017 |archive-date=5 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105172840/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/070524/GAL-07May24-75314/index.html?hpid=artslot |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfnp|Goldberg|1992|pp=52–53}} [[Indiana limestone]] was used for the building's façade.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Owens |first=Jim |title=Replacing the stone and rebuilding the Pentagon |journal=Mining Engineering |date=February 2005 |volume=57 |pages=21–26 |issue=2}}</ref>

Architectural and structural design work for the Pentagon proceeded simultaneously with construction, with initial drawings provided in early October&nbsp;1941, and most of the design work completed by 1&nbsp;June&nbsp;1942. At times the construction work got ahead of the design, with materials used other than those specified in the plans. Pressure to speed up design and construction intensified after the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] on 7&nbsp;December&nbsp;1941, with Somervell demanding that {{convert|1|e6ft2|ha|abbr=unit}} of space at the Pentagon be available for occupation by 1 April 1943.{{sfnp|Goldberg|1992|pp=39–42}} Chief architect Bergstrom resigned in April 1942 after he was charged with unrelated improper conduct as president of the [[American Institute of Architects]]. David J. Witmer replaced Bergstrom on 11&nbsp;April.{{sfnp|Goldberg|1992|p=36}} Construction was completed 15&nbsp;January&nbsp;1943.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pentagontours.osd.mil/construction.jsp |title=Construction to Completion |work=The Pentagon Tours |publisher=United States Department of Defense |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403075357/https://pentagontours.osd.mil/construction.jsp |archive-date=3 April 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=20 July 2016}}</ref>

Soil conditions of the site{{snd}}on the [[Potomac River]] floodplain{{snd}}presented challenges, as did the varying elevations across the site, which ranged from {{cvt|10|to|40|ft|0|spell=in}} above sea level. Two retaining walls were built to compensate for the elevation variations, and cast-in-place piles were used to deal with the soil conditions.{{sfnp|Goldberg|1992|pp=47, 52}} Construction of the Pentagon was completed in approximately 16 months at a total cost of $83&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|83000000|1941}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}). The building's approximate height is {{cvt|77|ft}}, and each of the five sides is {{cvt|921|ft}} in&nbsp;length.<ref name="tours" />

The building was built wedge by wedge;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dcmilitary.com/base_guides/joint_base_myer-henderson/partners/the-pentagon/article_048e812a-d114-5351-9091-12ab77ab5f98.html |website=dcmilitary.com |title=The Pentagon |date=February 19, 2016 |quote=Three shifts worked 24 hours a day, every day, building the Pentagon, wedge by wedge. |access-date=October 1, 2021 |archive-date=1 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001145436/https://www.dcmilitary.com/base_guides/joint_base_myer-henderson/partners/the-pentagon/article_048e812a-d114-5351-9091-12ab77ab5f98.html |url-status=live }}</ref> each wedge was occupied as soon as it was completed, even as construction continued on the remaining wedges.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pdhonline.com/courses/c682/c682slideshow.pdf |publisher=PDH Center |title=Five-By-Five: ''The Making of the Pentagon'' |date=2014 |quote=One section was completed on April 30, 1942 [sic] and the first tenants moved in. |access-date=October 1, 2021 |archive-date=1 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001151037/https://pdhonline.com/courses/c682/c682slideshow.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lange |first=Katie |url=https://www.aerotechnews.com/blog/2019/12/22/pentagon-history-seven-big-things-to-know/ |publisher=Aerotech News |title=Pentagon history: Seven big things to know |date=December 21, 2019 |quote=The first tenants moved into the building in April 1942, several months before the building was finished. |access-date=October 1, 2021 |archive-date=1 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001164430/https://www.aerotechnews.com/blog/2019/12/22/pentagon-history-seven-big-things-to-know/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Pentagon was designed in accordance with the [[Racial segregation in the United States|racial segregation]] laws in force in the state of Virginia at the time, with separate eating and lavatory accommodations for white and black persons. While the sets of lavatories were side by side, the dining areas for blacks were located in the basement.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Robert R. |last=Weyeneth |title=The Architecture of Racial Segregation: The Challenges of Preserving the Problematical Past |date=2005 |pages=28&ndash;30}}</ref><ref name="Carroll, James 2006. p.4-5">{{cite book |last=Carroll |first=James |title=House of War: The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power |year=2007 |publisher=Mariner Books |isbn=978-0-618-18780-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/houseofwartextei00carr |pages=4–5}}</ref><ref name="roulo">{{cite web |url=https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Features/story/Article/1650913/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the-pentagon/ |title=10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Pentagon |date=January 3, 2019 |first=Claudette |last=Roulo |work=Defense.gov |access-date=17 May 2021 |archive-date=1 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901220730/https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Features/story/Article/1650913/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the-pentagon/ |url-status=live }}</ref> When Roosevelt visited the facility before its dedication, he ordered removal of the "Whites Only" signs in segregated areas. When the Governor of Virginia protested, Roosevelt's administration responded that the Pentagon, although on Virginia land, was under federal jurisdiction. In addition, its military and civilian federal employees were going to comply with the President's policies. As a result, the Pentagon was the only building in Virginia where racial segregation laws were not enforced (these laws were not overturned until 1965). The side-by-side sets of restrooms still exist, but have been integrated in practice since the building was occupied.<ref name="Carroll, James 2006. p.4-5" />

===Hall of Heroes===
[[File:Pentagon Hall of Heroes Entrance.JPG|thumb|The Hall of Heroes on the Pentagon's main concourse]]
On the building's main concourse is the Hall of Heroes, opened 1968<ref>{{cite news |last=Maffre |first=John |date=15 May 1968 |title=The President Looks to Peace 'For Which These Men...Have Fought...' |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=1}}</ref> and dedicated to the more than 3,460 recipients of the [[Medal of Honor]],{{NoteTag|The Congressional Medal of Honor Society is so designated because that was the name it was given in an act of Congress that was signed into law by [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower]] on 5 August 1958 as [[Title 36 of the United States Code|Title 36]], Chapter 33 of the U.S. Code.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cmohs.org/society-history.php |title=The Congressional Medal of Honor Society's History |website=Official Site |publisher=Congressional Medal of Honor Society |access-date=1 October 2006 |archive-date=25 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125150659/http://cmohs.org/society-history.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The law authorizing the society has since been transferred to Title 36, Chapter 405 of the U.S. Code.<ref>{{cite web |title=Title 36 U.S. Code Chapter 405 - Congressional Medal of Honor Society of The United States Of America |publisher=Legal Information Institute |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode36/usc_sup_01_36_06_II_08_B_10_405.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612184700/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/36/subtitle-II/part-B/chapter-405 |archive-date=2018-06-12 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}} the United States' highest military decoration.<ref>{{cite web |author=Department of the Army |author-link=United States Department of the Army |date=1 July 2002 |title=Section 578.4 Medal of Honor |url=http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2002/julqtr/32cfr578.4.htm |work=[[Code of Federal Regulations]] |at=Title 32, Volume 2 |publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office|Government Printing Office]] |access-date=14 March 2012 |archive-date=15 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615164829/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2002-title32-vol3/html/CFR-2002-title32-vol3-sec578-4.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=DoD Award Manual |date=23 November 2010 |chapter=1348. 33, P. 31, 8. c. (1) (a)}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Tucker |first1=Spencer C. |last2=Arnold |first2=James |last3=Wiener |first3=Roberta |title=The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Wars, 1607–1890: A Political, Social, and Military History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JsM4A0GSO34C&pg=PA879 |access-date=14 March 2012 |year=2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-85109-697-8 |page=879 |archive-date=28 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628054131/http://books.google.com/books?id=JsM4A0GSO34C&pg=PA879 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Tour">{{cite book |title=Welcome to the Headquarters Department of Defense: Self Guided Tour Brochure – Pentagon Tours Program |url=http://pentagontours.osd.mil/ |access-date=2 December 2013 |archive-date=17 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191017212756/https://pentagontours.osd.mil/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Henderson |title=Inside the Pentagon Post 9/11 |website=Scholastic News Online |url=http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=5268 |access-date=2 December 2013 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323092442/http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=5268 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The three versions of the Medal of Honor{{snd}}Army, Sea Service (for the [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], and [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]]), and Air Force (for the [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] and [[United States Space Force|Space Force]]){{snd}}are on display along with the names of recipients.<ref name="Tour" />

The Hall is also used for promotions, retirements, and other ceremonies.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hirschfelder |first=Paulette |year=2012 |title=The Extraordinary Book of Native American Lists |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=Scarecrow Press |page=220}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Roth |first=S. |date=23 June 2000 |title=Pentagon's Hall of Heroes Welcomes Asian-American Veterans |publisher=Gannett News Service |access-date=1 December 2013 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/450409792 |id={{ProQuest|450409792}} |url-access=registration |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224143644/https://search.proquest.com/docview/450409792 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=30 March 1991 |title=Pentagon's Gulf War Spokesman Retires |work=St. Petersburg Times |access-date=1 December 2013 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/262802874 |id={{ProQuest|262802874}} |url-access=registration |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225043538/https://search.proquest.com/docview/262802874 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Omicinski |first=J. |date=1 December 1999 |title=Comanche Code-Talkers Honored for WWII Service |publisher=Gannett News Service |access-date=3 December 2013 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/450284607 |id={{ProQuest|450284607}} |url-access=registration |archive-date=26 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226001720/https://search.proquest.com/docview/450284607 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=26 February 2004 |title=Readiness Award |work=The Charleston Gazette |access-date=2 December 2013 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/331326463 |id={{ProQuest|331326463}} |url-access=registration |archive-date=1 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301203306/https://search.proquest.com/docview/331326463 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Renovation===
{{Main|Pentagon Renovation Program}}
From 1998 to 2011, the Pentagon was completely gutted and reconstructed in phases to bring it up to modern standards and improve security and efficiency. [[Asbestos]] was removed and all office windows were sealed.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Washington Post |last=Vogel |first=Steve |title=New Pentagon Is A Paragon |date=22 June 2011 |page=1}}</ref>

As originally built, most Pentagon office space consisted of open bays which spanned an entire ring. These offices used [[Ventilation (architecture)|cross-ventilation]] from operable windows instead of air conditioning for cooling. Gradually, bays were subdivided into private offices with many using [[Air conditioner|window air conditioning units]]. With renovations now complete, the new space includes a return to open office bays, and a new Universal Space Plan of standardized office furniture and partitions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://renovation.pentagon.mil/wedge2-5/usp.htm |title=Renovation of the Pentagon |access-date=9 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004013300/http://renovation.pentagon.mil/wedge2-5/usp.htm |archive-date=4 October 2006}}</ref>

==Incidents==
===Protests===
[[File:Vietnamprotestors.jpg|thumb|[[Military police]] keep back [[Vietnam War]] [[List of protests against the Vietnam War|protesters]] during their sit-in at the Pentagon's [[National Mall]] entrance on 21 October 1967]]
During the late 1960s, the Pentagon became a focal point for protests against the [[Vietnam War]]. A group of 2,500 women, organized by [[Women Strike for Peace]], demonstrated outside Secretary of Defense [[Robert S. McNamara]]'s office at the Pentagon on 15 February 1967.<ref>{{cite news |title=2500 Women Storm Pentagon Over War |author=White, Jean M. |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=16 February 1967}}</ref> In May 1967, a group of 20 demonstrators held a sit-in outside the Joint Chiefs of Staff's office, which lasted four days before they were arrested.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pentagon Protesters Jailed |author=Auerbach, Stuart |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=13 May 1967}}</ref> In one of the better known incidents, on 21 October 1967, some 35,000 anti-war protesters organized by the [[National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam]], gathered for a demonstration at the Defense Department (the "[[March on the Pentagon]]"). They were confronted by some 2,500 armed soldiers. During the protest, a [[Flower Power (photograph)|famous picture]] was taken, where [[Hibiscus (entertainer)|George Harris]] placed [[carnations]] into the soldiers' gun barrels.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/17/AR2007031701300.html |first1=David |last1=Montgomery |newspaper=The Washington Post |title=Flowers, Guns and an Iconic Snapshot |date=18 March 2007 |access-date=25 May 2010 |archive-date=13 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013151259/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/17/AR2007031701300.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The march concluded with an attempt to "exorcise" the building.<ref>{{cite book |last=Alexander |first=David |title=The Building: A Biography of the Pentagon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5H-cfwop-jgC&pg=PA192 |publisher=Voyageur Press |year=2008 |page=192 |isbn=9780760320877}}</ref>

On 19 May 1972, the [[Weather Underground Organization]] bombed a fourth-floor women's restroom, in "retaliation" for the [[Nixon administration]]'s [[Operation Linebacker II|bombing of Hanoi]] in the final stages of the [[Role of the United States in the Vietnam War|Vietnam War]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Way the Wind Blew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SD2TvqDh8EkC&pg=PA142 |author=Jacobs, Ron |publisher=Verso |year=1997 |page=142 |isbn=1-85984-167-8}}</ref>

On 17 March 2007, 4,000 to 15,000 people (estimates vary significantly) protested the [[Iraq War]]<ref>{{cite news |title=8 Years After Start of War, Anger Reigns |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=17 March 2007 |page=A1}}</ref> by marching from the [[Lincoln Memorial]] to the Pentagon's north parking lot.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gwhatchet.com/2007/03/22/activists-march-to-pentagon-on-iraq-wars-four-year-anniversary/ |title=Activists march to Pentagon on Iraq War's four-year anniversary |date=22 March 2007 |website=The GW Hatchet |access-date=18 January 2022 |archive-date=18 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118183200/https://www.gwhatchet.com/2007/03/22/activists-march-to-pentagon-on-iraq-wars-four-year-anniversary/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===September 11 attacks===
{{Main|American Airlines Flight 77}}
{{Further|September 11 attacks}}
On [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]], coincidentally the 60th anniversary of the Pentagon’s start of construction, five [[al-Qaeda]] affiliated [[Hijackers in the September 11 attacks|hijackers]] [[aircraft hijacking|took control]] of [[American Airlines Flight 77]], ''en route'' from [[Washington Dulles International Airport]] to [[Los Angeles International Airport]], and deliberately crashed the [[Boeing 757]] airliner into the western side of the Pentagon at 9:37&nbsp;am EDT as part of the September 11 attacks. The impact of the plane severely damaged the outer ring of one wing of the building and caused its partial collapse.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The Hijackers We Let Escape |first1=Michael |last1=Isikoff |first2=Daniel |last2=Klaidman |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/64762 |newspaper=Newsweek |date=10 June 2002 |access-date=22 October 2009 |archive-date=31 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091031183533/http://www.newsweek.com/id/64762 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the time of the attacks, the Pentagon was under renovation and many offices were unoccupied, resulting in fewer casualties. Due to the renovation work, only 800 people were there, as opposed to the usual 4,500.<ref name=Schrader/> Furthermore, the area hit, on the side of the Heliport façade,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.buildingsone.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Feature-Property-The-Pentagon-October-2015.pdf|title=The Pentagon|page=4|publisher=BuildingsOne|date=October 2015|access-date=5 August 2022|archive-date=18 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818143519/https://www.buildingsone.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Feature-Property-The-Pentagon-October-2015.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> was the section best prepared for such an attack. The renovation there, improvements which resulted from the [[Oklahoma City bombing]], had nearly been completed.<ref name=Schrader>{{Cite news |title=Pentagon, a Vulnerable Building, Was Hit in Least Vulnerable Spot |first=Esther |last=Schrader |url=http://911research.wtc7.net/cache/pentagon/analysis/latimes_leastvulnerable.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=16 September 2001 |access-date=25 February 2010 |archive-date=6 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106203849/http://911research.wtc7.net/cache/pentagon/analysis/latimes_leastvulnerable.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="latimes2001">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-sep-16-mn-46435-story.html |title=Where The Pentagon Was Hit |newspaper=LA Times |access-date=21 June 2015 |archive-date=22 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622032541/http://articles.latimes.com/2001/sep/16/news/mn-46435 |url-status=live }}</ref>

It was the only area of the Pentagon with a sprinkler system, and it had been reconstructed with a web of steel columns and bars to withstand bomb blasts. The steel reinforcement, bolted together to form a continuous structure through all of the Pentagon's five floors, kept that section of the building from collapsing for 30 minutes—enough time for hundreds of people to crawl out to safety. The area struck by the plane also had blast-resistant windows—{{convert|2|in|cm|0}} thick and {{convert|2,500|lb}} each—that stayed intact during the crash and fire. It had fire doors that opened automatically and newly built exits that allowed people to get out.<ref name="latimes2001" />

{{multiple image
| direction         = horizontal
| align             = center
| caption_align     = center
| total_width       = 800
| image1            = Pentagon Security Camera 1.ogv
| caption1          = Security video of [[American Airlines Flight 77|Flight 77]]'s collision with the Pentagon during the September 11 attacks<br/>(impact at 1:25)<ref name="jw">{{cite web |url=http://www.judicialwatch.org/flight77.shtml |title=Flight 77, Video 2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116160207/http://www.judicialwatch.org/flight77.shtml |archive-date=16 November 2006 |url-status=dead |publisher=Judicial Watch}}</ref> 
<!-- DO NOT add captions without discussion -->| image2            = DM-SD-02-03886.JPEG
| caption2          = Rescuers working at the Pentagon after the September 11 attacks
| image3            = US Navy 010911-N-6157F-006 Pentagon damage, Sept. 11, 2001.jpg
| caption3          = Smoke billowing out of the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, with the [[Washington Monument]] in the distance
| image4            = DN-SD-03-11451.JPEG
| caption4          = The damage to the Pentagon from the September 11 attack
}}
Contractors already involved with the renovation were given the added task of rebuilding the sections damaged in the attacks. This additional project was named the "[[Phoenix Project (Pentagon)|Phoenix Project]]" and was charged with having the outermost offices of the damaged section occupied by 11 September 2002.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pentagon Renovation Program |url=http://renovation.pentagon.mil/Phoenix/Phoenix.htm |access-date=4 December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508074544/http://renovation.pentagon.mil/Phoenix/Phoenix.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=8 May 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |publisher=BBC News |title=Americas: Pentagon staff reclaim destroyed offices |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2196233.stm |access-date=4 December 2005 |date=15 August 2002 |first=Nick |last=Childs |archive-date=11 February 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060211215704/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2196233.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://pentagon.osd.mil/september11.html |title=Pentagon History&nbsp;– September 11, 2001 |publisher=Pentagon.osd.mil |access-date=26 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926221109/http://pentagon.osd.mil/september11.html |archive-date=26 September 2011}}</ref>

When the damaged section of the Pentagon was repaired, a small indoor memorial and chapel were added at the point of impact. For the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a memorial of 184 beams of light shone up from the center courtyard of the Pentagon, one light for each victim of the attack. In addition, an American flag is hung each year on the side of the Pentagon damaged in the attacks, and the side of the building is illuminated at night with blue lights. After the attacks, plans were developed for an outdoor memorial, with construction underway in 2006. This [[Pentagon Memorial]] consists of a park on {{cvt|2|acre|m2}} of land, containing 184 benches, one dedicated to each victim. The benches are aligned along the line of Flight 77 according to the victims' ages, from 3 to 71. The park opened to the public on 11 September 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://memorial.pentagon.mil/ |title=Pentagon Memorial |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090109173706/http://memorial.pentagon.mil/ |archive-date=9 January 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2003/nr20030806-0326.html |title=Contractor Selected for the Pentagon Memorial |publisher=United States Department of Defense |date=6 August 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060511124900/http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2003/nr20030806-0326.html |archive-date=11 May 2006 |id=576-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Debbie |last1=Wilgoren |first2=Nick |last2=Miroff |first3=Robin |last3=Shulman |title=Pentagon Memorial Dedicated on 7th Anniversary of Attacks |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/11/AR2008091100579.html?hpid=topnews |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=11 September 2008 |access-date=11 September 2008 |archive-date=3 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003003318/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/11/AR2008091100579.html?hpid=topnews |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="180">
File:Pentagon construction.jpg|View of the Pentagon from the northwest during the building's construction in July 1942
File:The Pentagon US Department of Defense building.jpg|A view of the Pentagon from the southwest with the [[Potomac River]] and [[Washington Monument]] in background in 1988
File:Aerial view of the Pentagon during rescue operations post-September 11 attack.JPEG|Aftermath at the Pentagon from the September 11 attacks
File:Pentagon blue lights.jpg|A [[September 11 attacks|September 11 anniversary]] illumination at the Pentagon in 2007
File:Pentagon Memorial-5089.jpg|The [[Pentagon 9/11 Memorial]], a tribute to the lives lost in the [[American Airlines Flight 77|Flight 77]]'s collision with the Pentagon in the  September 11 attacks, which killed 125 people in the Pentagon and all 64 on board Flight 77
File:Aerial Closeup of the Pentagon, May 11, 2021.jpg|An aerial closeup of the Pentagon in May 2021
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Architecture|United States}}

*

*[[List of National Historic Landmarks in Virginia]]
*[[List of United States military bases]]
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Arlington County, Virginia]]
*[[Pentagon Force Protection Agency]]

==Notes==
{{NoteFoot}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last=Goldberg |first=Alfred |year=1992 |title=The Pentagon: The First Fifty Years |publisher=Office of the Secretary of Defense / Government Printing Office |isbn=0-16-037979-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/pentagonthefirst00wash}}
*{{cite book |last=Vogel |first=Steve |year=2007 |title=The Pentagon – A History: The Untold Story of the Wartime Race to Build the Pentagon and to Restore it Sixty Years Later |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-8129-7325-9}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|The Pentagon}}
{{Wikiquote}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20211223155640/https://pentagontours.osd.mil/Tours/ The Pentagon website] (archived version)
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=WNYDAAAAMBAJ&dq=popular+mechanics+1943+The+Battle+Of+Brains&pg=PA8 ''Popular Mechanics'', March 1943, ''"Army's Giant Five-by-Five"''] one of earliest World War II articles on the Pentagon
*[https://www.pfpa.mil/ Pentagon Force Protection Agency]
*[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/23/AR2007052301296.html How the Pentagon Got Its Shape]&nbsp;– ''The Washington Post'', 26 May 2007
*{{GNIS|1472192}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pentagon}}
[[Category:The Pentagon| ]]
[[Category:Military installations in Virginia]]
[[Category:Military headquarters in the United States]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Arlington County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Government buildings completed in 1943]]
[[Category:Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Virginia]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Arlington County, Virginia]]
[[Category:American Airlines Flight 77]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:1943 establishments in Virginia]]
[[Category:Joint military headquarters]]