The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Completed in January 1943 after just 16 months of construction — an extraordinary pace driven by the demands of World War II — it remains one of the world’s largest office buildings by floor area, housing roughly 26,000 military and civilian employees across its five concentric rings of corridors. Its distinctive pentagonal form, chosen in response to the unusual shape of the original site, has made it an architectural landmark as well as the global symbol of American military power.
At a glance
- Type
- Military headquarters and federal office complex
- Period
- Construction September 1941 – January 1943; major renovation 1993–2011
- Style
- Modernist; utilitarian Neoclassical elements on facades
- Location
- Arlington County, Virginia, USA · 38.8709° N, 77.0559° W
Overview
The Pentagon’s five-sided plan encloses a five-acre central courtyard and is subdivided into five concentric rings (A through E) connected by ten radial corridors, giving anyone inside the building the ability to walk between any two points in under seven minutes despite the building’s enormous footprint of approximately 604,000 square metres. Beyond its function as the working headquarters of the U.S. military, it is a major heritage site: the Pentagon Memorial on its northwest lawn commemorates the 184 victims of the 11 September 2001 attack, and its corridors display one of the largest collections of American military art in existence.
History
With the United States preparing to enter World War II, Secretary of War Henry Stimson requested a new consolidated headquarters to replace the War Department’s scattered offices across Washington. Architect George Bergstrom designed the pentagonal plan in response to an irregular five-sided site near Arlington Farm; though the site was later changed to a larger plot, the shape was retained. Construction began in September 1941 and the building was substantially complete by January 1943. On 11 September 2001, American Airlines Flight 77 was deliberately crashed into the Pentagon’s west facade, killing 184 people; the damaged section was rebuilt in just over a year, reopening in August 2002.
What you see
The exterior presents five identical low-rise facades in reinforced concrete with neoclassical limestone detailing — colonnaded entrances and regular window bays that give the building a monumental but understated appearance. The inner courtyard, nicknamed “Ground Zero” during the Cold War, contains a small outdoor café. The Pentagon’s 27 kilometres of corridors are lined with portraits of military leaders, battle flags, scale models of ships and aircraft, and historical dioramas. The Pentagon Memorial immediately to the northwest features 184 illuminated benches, each bearing the name of a victim of the 2001 attack, arranged along reflecting pools.
Cultural significance
The Pentagon is as much a cultural symbol as a functional building — its name has become a metonym for the U.S. military establishment in virtually every language. The speed of its wartime construction, its unprecedented scale, and its survival and rapid rebuilding after the 2001 attack have all contributed to its status as a monument to American institutional resilience. The Pentagon Memorial is one of the most visited 9/11 sites in the United States.
Practical information
- Address
- 1000 Defense Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia 22202, USA
- Public tours
- Available to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents; must be arranged through a member of Congress or a Department of Defense sponsor. Check pentagon.mil for current procedures.
- Pentagon Memorial
- Open to the public 24 hours a day, free of charge
Getting there
The Pentagon Metro station (Blue and Yellow Lines) is directly adjacent to the building’s main entrance. The Pentagon Memorial is accessible from the same station. By car, the building is accessible from Interstate 395; a large visitor parking area is available near the memorial.