The Pentagon: Military Base Guide

ABOUT THE PENTAGON

 

The Pentagon is a true American marvel. This immense structure is the largest office building in the world, claims four zip codes, and possesses a whopping six million square feet of floor space! The construction of the headquarters for the U.S. Department of Defense (once the U.S. War Department) has a storied history. The plans for the pentagonal design were based on the irregular shape of the proposed building site located east of Arlington National Cemetery. Plans for that location were scrapped, but the design and shape remained. The building was mainly constructed with reinforced concrete to conserve precious steel at the start of WWII. Builders also placed a series of ramps throughout the building instead of steel elevators. The structure was limited to five stories in height and two underground floors in another steel-preserving (and skyline-preserving) effort.

When assigned to the Pentagon, service members often report to alternate locations. There is no housing at the Pentagon, so if you would like to live on post, you will choose between Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Southwest D.C. or Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. There are offices in Crystal City, Arlington, where many work long hours, while some even report to offices in D.C. or other installations.

The Pentagon is located on the very tip of Northern Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall and Arlington National Cemetery are to the northeast, and Washington Reagan National Airport is its southeastern neighbor. The Metro's Yellow and Blue lines stop at the Pentagon, and several other public transit options are available for its almost 30,000 workers.

 

KEY CONTACTS

 

JBAB Housing

— Housing Services Center, 21 MacDill Blvd., Washington, D.C. 20032 — PH: (202) 404-1840

Bolling Family Housing

— Privatized Housing, 8660 Angell St., Washington, D.C. 20032 — PH: (202) 562-2631

Liberty Park at Andrews

— Housing Office, 2097 San Antonio Blvd., Joint Base Andrews, MD 20762 — PH: (866) 944-7504

Military & Family Support

— Pentagon, 1565 AF Pentagon, Room 5C1049, Washington, DC 20330 — PH: (571) 395-0408

JBMHH School Liaison Office

— 102 Custer Rd., Bldg. 203, Fort Myer, VA 22211 — PH: (703) 965-4950

Note: Most installation services will be available Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. As always, call first to confirm hours and availability of services.

Helpful hint: Contact these offices early in the week during the morning time.