The Pentagon
Designed and built in 16 months during World War II — 17.5 miles of corridors, a five-acre central courtyard, and a 9/11 memorial at the exact point of impact.
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Ground broke on 11 September 1941; the building was dedicated on 15 January 1943. Architect George Bergstrom's five-sided design holds 6.5 million square feet and about 23,000 workers. On 11 September 2001, American Airlines Flight 77 struck the western wall, killing 184 people. The rebuilt facade now contains an indoor memorial and chapel at the impact point; a separate outdoor memorial opened in 2009 directly southwest of the building.
What to look for
- The five-acre pentagonal central courtyard — the geometric core of a structure with five sides, five floors, and five ring corridors per floor
- The western facade, rebuilt after the 9/11 attack, with an indoor memorial and chapel marking the precise point of impact
- The outdoor September 11 memorial opened in 2009 directly southwest of the building, dedicated to the 184 victims
Located in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac from D.C.; the Concourse entrance connects directly to the Pentagon Metro station.
The Pentagon is one of 37 sights worth the detour in Washington, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Washington pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Washington
- White HouseBritish forces torched it in 1814. It has been the U.S. president's home and office ever since.
- United States CapitolEvery street address in Washington DC radiates outward from this building — it is literally the zero point of the city.
- Washington MonumentThe faint color seam partway up the shaft marks where construction stopped for 23 years.
- Smithsonian InstitutionBritish scientist James Smithson left a bequest that became 157 million objects, 21 museums, and a zoo — almost all free to walk into.
- Arlington National CemeteryThe ground holding 400,000 graves was seized from Robert E. Lee's own family over an unpaid tax bill in 1864.
- Lincoln MemorialThe exact steps where King delivered "I Have a Dream" on August 28, 1963 — stand there and the date stops being abstract.