The five-sided, five-story Pentagon building is the headquarters for the Department of Defense and in every way, the operative adjective is "immense." Billed as being "virtually a city in itself," the Pentagon is the world's largest office building and is comprised of five concentric rings that house 23,000 employees who navigate 17.5 miles of corridors daily while taking care of the nation's defense.
More statistics: the National Capitol could fit into any one of the five wedge-shaped sections; its grounds include 200 acres of lawn, 16 parking lots upon which sit 8,770 cars; 131 stairways and 19 escalators; its square footage is more than 3.7 million. It includes a five-acre central plaza, shaped like – what else? – a pentagon, which is affectionately known to insiders as "Ground Zero" a Cold War-era nickname based on the assumption that it would certainly be the target of any nuclear strike attempted by the Soviets.
The Pentagon was built in the early years of World War II, to meet the needs of a blockbuster Defense Department that was growing like wildfire as it engaged all the country's energy into the war. The building consolidated 17 buildings of the War Department and cost $83 million to build. Its location across the Potomac in Virginia was selected so as to not interfere with the view between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery.
Attraction Information
- Tours:
- The Pentagon is open to the public for scheduled tours which take approximately 45 to 60 minutes.
- Tours are conducted Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm.
- Tours are not conducted on weekends or federal holidays. Scheduling a tour is somewhat circuitous but worth it, requiring that visitors work through their state representative's office in Congress. To locate your representative's office, visit www.house.gov for the Congressional office or www.senate.gov for the U.S. Senate.
- Admission:
- All tours are free and available by reservation only.
- Metro Stop:
- Yellowline or Blueline to the Pentagon Station
- Contact:
- Location: Army Navy Drive and Fern Street, Arlington, VA
- Phone: 703-697-1776
- Website: www.pentagon.afis.osd.mil
