lenochs%drcoa1.decnet@drcvax.af.mil (DRCOA1: :LENOCHS) (03/27/91)
[I'm not sure if this is actually appropriate to the charter, but I've seen postings on other tours of military sites and museums, so I'll let this one by. Feel free to let me know if I erred. --CDR] From: "DRCOA1::LENOCHS" <lenochs%drcoa1.decnet@drcvax.af.mil> Prime contract awarded 11 Aug 1941. Construction began 11 Aug 1941. Mechanical engineering contract awarded 3 Sep 1941. Grading contract awarded 24 Sep 1941. First occupants moved in 29 Apr 1942. Construction completed 15 Jan 1943. Area covered by the Pentagon building - 29 acres Area of Center Court [the green part in the middle] - 5 acres (Center Court, otherwise known as Ground Zero, is the world's largest designated covered area. This means that hats and saluting are not required, which keeps the fumbling with paper plates to a minimum) Area of heating and refrigeration plants and sewage structures - 2 acres Access highways built - 30 miles Overpasses and bridges built - 21 Parking space - 67 acres (capacity = 9,849 vehicles) [300 square feet per vehicle! --CDR] Cost of building - $49,600,000 (sorry, no reference year for dollar figures) Total project cost - $83,000,000 (again, no reference year) Gross floor area - 6,546360 sq. ft. Net space - 3,705,793 sq. ft. Cubic contents - 77,015,000 cu. ft. Number of concrete pilings - 41,492 (the Pentagon was built on a swamp) Amount of earth moved - 5,500,000 million cubic yards Amount of sand and gravel dredged from the Potomoc - 680,000 tons (which were processed into 435,000 cubic yards of concrete.) Length of each outer wall - 921 ft. Number of floors - 5 (does not include basements - 2 known, others rumored) Total length of corridors - 17 1/2 miles Length of telephone cabling - 100,000 miles Number of: Stairways - 150 Escalators - 19 Elevators - 13 Fire hose cabinets - 672 Rest rooms - 280 Bathroom fixtures - 4,900 Drinking fountains - 685 (the most famous is in the basement of the USAF headquarters complex - it is painted purple and is used as a reference point to find your way around) Electric clock outlets - 7,000 Clocks installed - 4,200 Light fixtures - 15,000 Lamp replacements - 200 per day Windows - 7,748 (glass area = 309,726 sq. ft. or approx. 7.1 acres) Employees - 23,000 (approx.) Cups of coffee consumed - 30,000 per day Pints of milk consumed - 6,000 per day Restaurant staff - 600 (operating 2 restaurants, 6 cafeterias, 9 beverage bars, and the Center Court snack bar). Telephone calls made - 200,000 per day (approx.) Pieces of mail - 130,000 per day (approx.) Periodicals in the Army Library - 1,700 Publications in the Army Library - 300,000 BTW, if you find yourself in D.C., the Pentagon offers a free guided tour during normal business hours (I think 8am to 4pm, Monday through Friday). It is quite informative. Some of the displays on the tour are the backup instrument of surrender of WWII, the guidons of every major Army unit, magnificent models of Navy vessels (going back to the days of sail), and a memorial to Medal of Honor winners. The tours are conducted by enlisted members of each services' Honor Guard. Loyd M. Enochs (ex-USAF) - Dynamics Research Corporation - Andover, MA Computer Systems Analyst - Smart Data System (F-117 Maintenance and Operations computer system)
cramer@uunet.UU.NET (Clayton Cramer) (04/02/91)
From: optilink!cramer@uunet.UU.NET (Clayton Cramer) You left out one of the interesting pieces of historical trivia about the Pentagon: what major project did the general in charge go on to after finishing Pentagon planning? The Manhattan Project. Both were under the direction of Leslie Groves. Groves was not happy about getting yet another engineering project -- he wanted a combat assignment. -- Clayton E. Cramer {uunet,pyramid,pixar,tekbspa}!optilink!cramer You must be kidding! No company would hold opinions like mine! "Seventeenth, That the people have a right to keep and bear arms;" -- from Virginia's request for a Bill of Rights, June 27, 1788.