The Pentagon has double toilet facilities that is needed for a builidng its size

The Pentagon, located in Arlington (Virginia), is the headquarter of the United States Department of Defense.

When World War II broke out in Europe, the headquarters of the United States Department of War was spread out in different temporary buildings such as the Greggory Building, the National Mall. The situation was unacceptable for secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, and that is what he told President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was decided to build a new building from scratch; it had to be no more than four stories tall with a minimal amount of steel, which implied the building would be sprawling over a large area. Steel was in short supply during WWII. The originally chosen site had a roughly pentagonal shape, and that is how it was designed.  But president Roosevelt suddenly got concerned that the new building could obstruct the view of Washington D.C. from Arlington Cemetery. Finally, the obsolete Hoover Airport location was selected. But, after changing the site, the design was maintained because a major change would have been very expensive. Nevertheless, it was modified to a perfect shaped pentagon. Part of the attached neighborhood, Hell’s Bottom, was bought for completing the space needed, including some pawnshops, some factories and 150 houses making 280 acres (1.1 km2).

Works begun on September 11, 1941. The reinforced concrete structure was covered with Indiana limestone facades.  680,000 tons sand from the Potomac River were used for the construction. The necessity of having the headquarters finished rush the process to an unbelievable speed, rushed even more, after Pearl Harbor attack (December 7 1941)

The Pentagon has double the standard toilet facilities due to the state of Virginia’s racial laws at the time of it construction. On each floor there were double toilet facilities separated by gender and race. However, president Roosvelt ordered to remove the “Whites Only” signs before the building was used and during a long period of time, it was the only building in Virginia were segregation was not allowed. 

The building was completed by January 15, 1943. It was the largest building in the country, housing more than 17 miles of corridors. Normally, it would have taken years, but it was designed and executed in just 16 months. 

Aerial view of the two first sides