ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Pentagon is one of the most iconic structures in the D.C. area, and employs thousands of people. But many have no idea why the structure was built in that unique pentagon shape. We decided to look into it in our latest edition of "The Why."
To learn more about the history of this structure, we reached out to Steve Vogel, a journalist and historian, who literally wrote the book on the subject. He authored the book "The Pentagon - A History."
The Origins:
The origins of this mammoth structure, are in 1941, when Europe was at war. The Nazi regime of Adolph Hitler had conquered many countries, and the United States was gearing up for potential conflict.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt started bolstering the military. That included office staff members, which skyrocketed to 24,000 in 1941. The problem was with space though. These staff members were spread across 17 different buildings, all over the city. There was a great need to consolidate the military operations.
In July of 1941, the government hired an architect named George Bergstrom to solve this problem. He was given just three days to create a design that could hold 40,000 people and 10,000 cars. So Bergstrom did what any architect would do - he assessed the land.
The Design:
Originally, the structure was planned for an area east of the Arlington Cemetery, which was called "Arlington Farms." This plot was bound by access roads in an irregular pentagon shape, and so the design followed suit.
The architects were also pleased with the design, because it would make crossing the building easy, even for those on the opposite side.
Then the architects had a wrench thrown in their plans. Many in the city, including FDR, started to worry that this massive structure would ruin the view from the Lincoln Memorial. The structure certainly would have been in view, since the plot of land was essentially adjacent to the Memorial Bridge.
For that reason, FDR decided to move the plans for another plot of land.
Hell's Bottom:
The new site was actually on top of an existing community. The area of East Arlington held various predominately black neighborhoods, including Queen City and Hell's Bottom. In order to accommodate the the Pentagon plans, more than 150 families were evicted from these areas.
Hell's Bottom was a "seedier" part of town, since it was in between jurisdictions. Gambling, prostitution, and other illegal activity was prevalent in the area, and so removing this community was considered an added bonus for the government.
Since there was a war to prepare for, the architects decided to just transfer the old design plans over to the new plot of land. For that reason, the pentagon design remained, despite the fact that the pentagon boundaries were gone.
A Few More Fun Facts:
Start Date Coincidence: The groundbreaking was on September 11, 1941. Coincidentally, the 9/11 attacks happened on the 60-year anniversary of this date.
The Greatest Generation Moves Fast: Things moved remarkably fast from there. The mammoth structure was built in just 17 months. In order to achieve such a feat, the architects had approximately 15,000 workers on site around the clock. The demand was so great, that some employees moved in before the full structure was complete. The construction finished on January 15, 1943.
Momentous Size: The structure is gigantic, measuring in at 6 million square feet. In fact it has more than three times the office space of the Empire State Building. Each of the five sides can hold the US Capitol.
Why So Short? While the structure is wide, it's only five stories high. This was partially to meet an aesthetic and to preserve a view, but also it was due to a practical matter. The country was gearing up for war, and so there was a major steel shortage. For that reason, the architects used concrete instead, which means a shorter building.
Do you have a Why Question? Shoot your question to our "Why Guy," reporter Evan Koslof, on Twitter at @ekoslof, on Facebook at Evan Koslof Reporting, or by email at ekoslof@wusa9.com
