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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. [ virtual tour of pentagon
Gallery
Photo ]
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.
The above information has been supplied by courtesy of- Defense Link - US Department of Defense
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