The Pentagon

by David Alexander

The Pentagon has been called many things by many people, but to the people who work there it's simply known as "the Building." It's monumental in its five-pointed symmetry: five sides, five rings, and five floors encompassing over six million square feet of floor space and covering twenty-nine acres of formerly swampy ground. From the beginning, however, it was more than just a monumental structure. Over its history the Building has become a living, breathing organism of many parts: limestone and steel, the people who call it home, and its mission of defending America. [This book] highlights both the nuts and bolts of its architecture and the remarkable people who have walked its corridors, guiding the United States through World War II, the Cold War, and now the War on Terror. The generals and admirals and the politicians come and go, their roles filled by fresh faces, but the Building continues. This is its story. -- Front jacket flap.