pentagontours.osd.mil Open in urlscan Pro
158.9.86.123  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

Menu
   Close
 * Home
   * About the Pentagon
   * Tour Guidelines
   * Pentagon Facts
   * History
   * Resources
 * Request a Tour
   * Tour Guidelines
   * About the Program
   * Directions
   * Parking
   * Visitors with Disabilities
   * History of Pentagon Tours
   * Security Information
   * Self Guided Tour
   * Check an Existing Tour
   * FAQ
 * Facts
   * Navigating the Pentagon
   * DoD Components
   * Construction
   * Consumables
   * Land Area & Facilities
   * Numbers
   * Zip Codes
 * History
   * Construction to Completion
   * September 11, 2001
   * Ongoing Renovation
 * Related Links
 * Contact

Request a Tour


WELCOME TO



PENTAGON TOURS

Watch History of the Pentagon Request a Tour
Effective Immediately
All Pentagon Tours Are Cancelled Until Further Notice


ABOUT THE PENTAGON

The Pentagon Tours program, under the purview of the Assistant to the Secretary
of Defense for Public Affairs, hosts more than 106,000 visitors annually. Our
tours dynamically highlight the respective missions of the five Armed Services,
the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Joint Staff through a 60 minute
presentation that includes a 1.49 mile walk through the building. Each tour
includes the mission of the DOD and numerous military displays.

Read More ...



TOUR GUIDELINES

To take a guided tour of the Pentagon, you must make a reservation at least 14
days in advance through our website. Reservations are available 14 to 90 days in
advance and tour schedules fill up quickly, so it is advisable to book your tour
well in advance of your visit. Reservations will not be accepted for tour dates
outside this 14 to 90 day window. Reservations will not be accepted for tour
dates within 13 days or more than 90 days away. Please review our Tour
Guidelines

Read More ...


PENTAGON FACTS

Headquarters of the Department of Defense, the Pentagon is one of the world's
largest office buildings. Built in just 16 months, the Pentagon is the world's
largest low-rise office building. It is twice the size of the Merchandise Mart
in Chicago, has more than twice the floor space of the Empire State Building,
and the U.S. Capitol could fit into any one of its five wedge-shaped sections.

Read More ...



HISTORY OF THE PENTAGON


 * CONCEPT TO EARLY CONSTRUCTION (1941 — 1942)
   
   By the summer of 1941, the War Department work force in the Washington, D.C.
   area numbered more than 24,000 civilian and military personnel housed in 17
   buildings and was expected to reach 30,000 by the beginning of 1942.
   Providing office space for the workers was part of the military construction
   mission of the Quartermaster Corps Construction Division who were struggling
   to cope with the vast mobilization construction underway before the United
   States entered World War II.
   
   The federal government considered constructing temporary buildings, but
   Brigadier General Brehon B. Somervelle, an aggressive Engineer officer who
   headed the construction division, had another idea. On Thursday, 17 July
   1941, he summoned two of his subordinates, Lieutenant Colonel Hugh J. Casey,
   also an Engineer officer, and George E. Bergstrom, a prominent civilian
   architect. He told them that by Monday morning he wanted basic plans and an
   architectural perspective for an air-conditioned office building to house
   40,000 workers in four million square feet of space, not more than four
   stories high, with no elevators. Indeed, Lieutenant Colonel Casey and his
   staff completed the basic layout of a five-sided building by that following
   Monday, after what he later described was "a very busy weekend."


 * CONSTRUCTION TO COMPLETION (1943)
   
   The Pentagon building, an institution and an iconic symbol, is the
   headquarters of the Department of Defense (DoD). The Pentagon's three
   occupant groups–military, civilians, and contractors–contribute to the
   planning and execution of the defense of our country. The Pentagon is one of
   the world's largest and most recognizable office buildings. It is twice the
   size of the Merchandise Mart in Chicago; it has three times the floor space
   of the Empire State Building in New York; and the National Capital could fit
   into any one of the five wedge-shaped sections. The Pentagon is virtually a
   city in itself. In terms of population, the Pentagon's 25,650 employees make
   it larger than nine out of 10 towns in the United States.


 * SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
   
   Exactly 60 years to the day after the ground-breaking ceremony, the September
   11, 2001 attacks occurred. American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west
   side of the Pentagon after being hijacked, killing all aboard as well as over
   a hundred people within the Pentagon. The flight penetrated three of the five
   rings of the Pentagon. Because the affected area was under renovation at the
   time, several offices were unoccupied, sparing many lives. The aircraft
   struck on the edge between two sections, one of which had just finished being
   upgraded.


 * THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS AT A GLANCE
   
   As renovations started in the Pentagon, it is worthy to highlight what the
   Pentagon Renovation and Construction Program Office (PENREN) faced to
   complete such a massive endeavor. With approximately four million square feet
   of space, the design-build renovation of Wedges 2–5 included the removal of
   all hazardous materials, replacement of all building systems, addition of new
   elevators and escalators to improve vertical circulation, and installation of
   new security and telecommunications systems. Additionally, sustainable design
   measures and force protection initiatives prompted by the September 11, 2001
   terrorist attack were successfully integrated into the design.

 * 1941
 * 1943
 * 2001
 * 2002


RESOURCES

 * Operating Status
 * Privacy & Security Notice
 * External Link Disclaimer
 * Web Policy
 * USA.gov

 * US Department of Defense
 * Defense TV
 * JCOC
 * Know Your Military

Pentagon Tours Office
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense
Public Affairs
1400 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1400

Contact Us
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 *