"The
Pentagon, headquarters of the Department of Defense, is the world’s
largest office building. It is twice as large as the Merchandise Mart
in Chicago and has three times the floor space of the Empire State Building
in New York. The National Capitol would fit into any one of its five
wedged-shaped section" according to the publication "THE PENTAGON",
issued by the Department of Defense, April 1960, and since that date
has had numerous additions, and expansions of services made.
By the summer of 1941 and during the time of preparation
for national defense some 24,000 War Department personnel were housed
in 17 buildings scattered through Washington and into nearby Virginia.
In May a proposal had been under study for the erection of temporary
structures on the outskirts of the City, and a $6,500,000 item had been
included in the budget for this purpose and submitted to Congress early
in July. Under this plan it appeared that expansion of personnel would
increase dispersion, increasing the costs of transportation and communication
both in time and money. The official concept of the Pentagon was initiated
by Lt. Gen. Brehon B. Somervell, then Commanding Services of Supply,
U.S. Army, who had the scheme for housing the entire War Department
under one roof, and after discussing this with the Staff carried the
idea to Virginia Congressman, Clifton Woodrum, who encouraged him, with
the result that an item of $35,000,000 was added to the Supplemental
Appropriations Bill for 1942. The greater ease of communication and
swiftness of action had strong appeal to the military and it was ready
to move towards such a realization, and the economy had Congressional
appeal.
In spite of the production of the first basic plans and
architectural perspectives in a matter of less than five days after
the first indication of Congressional interest, followed by the approval
of appropriation and the signature of the President, a delay of another
month was experienced in the selection of a site. Various planning and
fine arts commissions objected to its location in the Arlington Farms
area, fearing comparison of a hurried construction of such an enormous
building in the same panoramic view of much of the Washington classical
architecture.
The first plan was for a three story structure to reduce
the profile and the projection as much as possible in such a comparison.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, himself, after first approving the
Arlington Farms location then vacillated in acceptance, although the
old Washington-Hoover Airport was here also. General Somervell had the
approvals of Under Secretary of War Robert H. Patterson, and Generals
Marshall and Moore, and of a Congressional Committee which viewed the
site with him. He eventually swayed the Presidential objections and
the removal of any Congressional disapproval by proceeding under the
original Roosevelt acceptance and initiation of construction procedures
under contracts made with John McShain, Inc., of Philadelphia, and Doyle
& Russell and Wise Contracting Co., both of Richmond, Virginia.
Capt. Clarence Renshaw, a graduate of West Point and career officer
in the Corps of Engineers, was detailed as District Engineer in charge,
under Gen. Leslie A. Groves, Deputy Chief of Construction.
The original layout on the Arlington Farms site was for
a five-sided or pentagon shaped building accessible by five roads; a
reinforced concrete structure of 5,100,000 square feet floor space including
300,000 square feet for records storage, a height of first three- then
four-stories; and parking for 10,000 vehicles. These plans were modified,
particularly after Pearl Harbor, by additional space and facilities,
and these plans and specifications of changes were a continual bottleneck
throughout construction.
Work was beset from its beginning by squabbles of those
with special interests: the President specified that the exterior should
not be marble but had no objection to the limestone finally settled
upon; the loudest uproar was that in the selection of steel sash over
wood; another was a dispute as to the granite when Georgia appeared
to be excluded because of color selection; and other less important
items. The adherence to reinforced concrete not only satisfied the Office
of Production Management but did save an estimated 43,000 tons of steel,
probably enough for a battleship. A high accident rate plagued the work,
as was natural with the insistence and adherence to the plan for completion
within fourteen months.
The overt attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December, 1941, and
national security directed every effort towards provisions for war at
the greatest possible speed. As a result many lagging projects were
revitalized, after that date, picking up miraculous action under the
suspension of bidding regulations. The "Engineering News-Record"
epitomized the change in the nation, editorializing, "Building
for defense is a thing of the past. The construction industry's new
standard must be emblazoned 'Building for Battle'. There is a difference.
Time was short. Now there is no more time."
The
site of the Pentagon installations was in most part a wasteland, swamp,
and dumps, into which, after clearing and grading, was poured 5,500,000
cubic yards of earth fill and grading, and into which was driven 41,492
concrete piles. The dredging of the nearby Potomac River yielded 680,000
tons of sand and gravel and mixed with cement made 435,000 cubic yards
of concrete poured into forms to support the structure. General Groves
wanted to use brick for the interior walls as it would result in faster
construction, but the principal architect, G. Edwin Bergstrom, insisted
on architectural concrete, which eventually cost $650,000 more but it
is generally agreed that the appearance is more pleasing with the architectural
coherence in the structure. The estimated savings in rental with this
single building was around $3,000,000 per year, which had considerable
appeal to Congress. Another of the prime objectives, rapid communications
with coordinated action, was a design so effective that although there
are some seventeen and a half miles of corridors, any one point may
be reached from another within the building by a walk of not more than
six minutes.
The Pentagon building is a gigantic and lasting monument to the American
spirit; unity in defense and war; the ingenuity of its architects and
engineers; and the force and leadership of its builders. Although its
population varies with the military effort and commitments of this nation,
the Department of Defense continues to provide the facilities to enhance
the capabilities of those housed in its confines, with additional spatial,
transportation and communication means as the needs are realized or
envisioned.
