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.