American Historical sites - The Pentagon
The Pentagon, home to the Department of Defense, is the largest office building in the world, totaling 6,500,000 square feet. Standing 77 feet high, it is a true symbol of American exceptionalism. One may guess that it took several years to construct the Pentagon. However, it took merely 16 months! Construction commenced exactly 60 years before the terrorist attack on September 11th and was completed on January 15, 1943. Pressure to complete the building was added after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The American architect George Bergstrom designed the Pentagon. Possible sites for the building included Arlington Farm, adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery, and the Washington Hoover Airport site. President Roosevelt eventually selected the Hoover Airport site, so as to not obstruct the view of D.C. from the Arlington Cemetery. The original chosen site was the Arlington Farms, which was the reason for the pentagonal design. On September 11, 2001, a day that will forever be remembered by Americans, five al-Qaeda members crashed an American Airlines plane into the Western side of the Pentagon, killing 184 Americans. The reconstruction, known as the Phoenix Project, was completed by August 2002. An indoor memorial covers the area of impact.
The Pentagon, home to the Department of Defense, is the largest office building in the world, totaling 6,500,000 square feet. Standing 77 feet high, it is a true symbol of American exceptionalism. One may guess that it took several years to construct the Pentagon. However, it took merely 16 months! Construction commenced exactly 60 years before the terrorist attack on September 11th and was completed on January 15, 1943. Pressure to complete the building was added after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The American architect George Bergstrom designed the Pentagon. Possible sites for the building included Arlington Farm, adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery, and the Washington Hoover Airport site. President Roosevelt eventually selected the Hoover Airport site, so as to not obstruct the view of D.C. from the Arlington Cemetery. The original chosen site was the Arlington Farms, which was the reason for the pentagonal design. On September 11, 2001, a day that will forever be remembered by Americans, five al-Qaeda members crashed an American Airlines plane into the Western side of the Pentagon, killing 184 Americans. The reconstruction, known as the Phoenix Project, was completed by August 2002. An indoor memorial covers the area of impact. 
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