I AM STUART VARNEY AND THIS IS
AMERICAN BUILDING.
THE LARGEST OFFICE BUILDING IN
THE WORLD, FAMOUS FOR ITS SHAPE
AND SIZE.
ICONIC PIPE SIZES HEADQUARTERS
CENTER OF THE WORLD’S MOST
POWERFUL CONSTRUCTIVIST
FULL-SCALE ISSUE OF ITS OWN.
♪
AFTER A MERCHANT HARRIS, FBI
FLARED A NATIONAL EMERGENCY.
>> THE PROCLAMATION THAT AN
UNLIMITED LIFE FLOWING EMERGENCY REQUIRED THE STRENGTHENING OF
REQUIRED THE STRENGTHENING OF
OUR DEFENSE TO THE EXTREME LIMIT
NATIONAL.
>> WASHINGTON D.C. 1941.
WITH WERE ALMOST CERTAIN, THE
AMERICAN MILITARY GROUP AT
EXPLOSIVE RATE.
>> UNITED STATES WAS UNDERGOING
THE LARGEST PEACETIME
MOBILIZATION HISTORY.
WAR DEPARTMENT IN WASHINGTON WAS
SCATTERED AROUND DIFFERENT
BUILDINGS THEY WERE IN PRIVATE
RESIDENCES AND THEY HAD SENT ME
OUTGROWN IT ONE GENERAL PROPOSED
A PLAN TO BUILD A CENTRAL
MILITARY HEADQUARTERS.
REFUND BEAT SOMERVILLE.
>> CONTEMPORARIES DESCRIBED HIM
AS DYNAMIC, CERTAINLY BUT ALSO
INPATIENT, EVEN RUTHLESS BUT
RESPECT COMBINATION OF TRAITS
THAT MAKE HIM PERFECT FOR HELP
MONUMENTAL HANDLES IT.
>> IS A GUY YOU WANT TO HAVE
AROUND BREAK IT UP IN CASE OF
EMERGENCY.
HE WAS THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB
JOB.
>> A RAINY JULY, GATHERED HIS
OFFICERS, HE ORDERED THEM TO
DROP PLANS FOR BUILDING SEPARATE
HOUSE 40000 GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES
UNDER ONE ROOF.
THEY DIDN’T THINK THAT WAS
POSSIBLE.
HE WANTED THE PLANS ON HIS DESK
MONDAY MORNING.
♪
>> TALK ABOUT SHOCK AND AWE,
THEY ARE WIDE-EYED.
HARDLY TIME TO EVEN REACT AND WE
ARE GOING TO DO IT IN A HURRY I
WANT TO BEGIN PUTTING SIX MONTHS
IN THE WHOLE BUILDING WITHIN
FIGURE.
>> STAFF WALKED AROUND THAT WE
CAN, THEY REALIZED TIME WAS THAT
ONLY OBSTACLE.
♪
STEEL SHORTAGES BECOME A MAJOR
PROBLEM THEY STREAMLINE THE
URGENCY OF WORLD WAR II WAS BOTH
SOMETHING THAT HELPED% TOWARDS
COMPLETION BUT ALSO AFFECTED HOW
IT WAS BUILT SOMERVILLE ORDER
THE PENTAGON, WAR STORIES.
A RECTANGULAR BUILDING WOULDN’T
BE A PROBLEM ON A CONVENTIONAL
LOT THEY WERE GIVEN SOMETHING
ELSE, LAND BOUNDED BY BOTH ON
FIVE SIDES SHAPE IS COMPLETELY
AN ACCIDENT OF HISTORY.
WHY FIVE SIDES?
IF IT.
>> TO GET THE SQUARE FOOTAGE
THEY NEEDED SOME OF THE TEAM HAD
TO GET CREATIVE.
THE CONFLICT NOTICE THE PENTAGON
WOULD BE FIVE PENTAGON’S INSIDE
EACH OTHER PENTAGON’S CONNECTED
BY PARTICULAR PASSAGEWAYS
LEADING TO A 5-ACRE COURTYARD
JUST BEFORE THEY BROKE GROUND, A
LOT ITSELF POSITIONED HERE
SACRED ARLINGTON CEMETERY SET UP
A FIRESTORM OF PROTEST.
>> OPPOSITION TO THE PENTAGON
BUILDING WAS ABOUT THAT LOCATION
DISRUPTION AND REMIC VIEW
NEWSPAPERS THE IDEA.
>> VALLEY TO PUBLIC PRESSURE,
ROOSEVELT LOCATION FOR THE
THOUGHT SPOILED IF YOU OF
ARLINGTON IN ONE RESTRICTED BY
ACCESS ROADS SO A MORE
CONVENTIONAL RECTANGULAR
BUILDING WOULD FIT BUT TIME WAS
SHORT SOME OF NO CAPS THE
ORIGINAL DESIGN HAD DESIGNED
THIS, HOW MANY THOUSANDS OF MAN
HOURS TRYING TO GET IT THERE NOT
WANT TO GO BACKWARDS, IT WORKED
SOMERVILLE WAS ABLE TO CUT
THROUGH RED TAPE AND BREAK
GROUND SEVEN WEEKS AFTER THE
IDEA FOR THE BUILDING WAS FIRST
HATCHED.
CONSTRUCTION BEGAN SEPTEMBER 11
111941 THEY FACE THE FIRST
CHARGE ON DAY ONE IT WAS ON A
FLOODPLAIN VERY SMARTLY PILINGS
SET STABILIZE IT SO IT WAS
USABLE TO SUPPORT THE
FOUNDATION, HAVE TO SEE WHAT
1000 PILINGS FOR BUILDINGS MAX
CAPACITY AT 40000 PEOPLE.
YOU DO THE MATH.
>> ACCORDING TO THE GROUND AND
THEY WOULD THINK NEVER BE SEEN
AGAIN.
MATCHSTICKS INTO A MUDDY
FOOTBALL FIELD.
>> DRUMBEAT OF WORK EACH DAY,
SOMERVILLE BROUGHT UP TOP
MANAGER OVERSEE CONSTRUCTION IS
LESLIE OUR PROGRAMS REALLY WANT
HE WAS CAN BE PUTTING PRESSURE
ON HIS SUBORDINATES, NO NONSENSE
DRIVER.
>> GROWTH LOGISTICAL WOULD PROVE
INDISPENSABLE TO THE PROJECT.
BY DECEMBER 1, 1941, ROSE HAS
3000 WORKERS ON SITE EVERY DAY.
♪
WENT OVER IN EUROPE, ALLIES WERE
DEPENDING ON MORE AND MORE
AMERICAN TO FIGHT THE GERMAN WAR
MACHINE.
SOME DETERMINE SAVE EVERY SCRAP
OF STEEL HE PUT.
>> EVERY PRODUCT ESSENTIAL TO
THE WORK MUST BE EXAMINED IN THE
LIGHT TWO.
CAN IT BE MADE DESPERATE
MATERIAL?
CAN IT BE MADE BETTER, FASTER
GREATER QUANTITIES BY ANOTHER
METHOD OF PRODUCTION?
>> ADAPTING TO WARTIME COMMANDS,
SOMERVILLE CALLED THE CONCRETE A
LOT OF HUNGRY.
>> JUST WANT TO INVOLVE UNFREE
SCALE NEVER USED FOR BUILDING
FOR FOUR.
>> WORKING WITH CONCRETE, THEY
SAVED 38000 TONS OF STEEL,
ENOUGH TO BUILD A BATTLESHIP
JUST IN TIME.
>> DECEMBER 7, 1941, A DATE WHICH WILL LIVE IN THIS.