The Pentagon's Origins

When World War II began in Europe in 1939, the United States War Department faced increasing administrative demands as the country prepared for the possibility of entering the conflict. At the time, the department operated from the Munitions Building on Washington's National Mall, along with numerous temporary offices scattered throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The expansion of military planning and personnel placed considerable pressure on these facilities, making efficient administration increasingly difficult. Although a new War Department building had been constructed in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood during the late 1930s, it did not adequately resolve the department's accommodation problems and eventually became the headquarters of the Department of State. These circumstances established the need for a centralized military administrative complex, providing the historical foundation for the Pentagon's development.