The Pentagon 3,460 recipients of the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration. The Hall is also used for promotions, retirements, and other ceremonies. Notes Bibliography The Pentagon The Pentagon, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase "The Pentagon" is often used as a metonym for the Department of Defense and its leadership. The building was designed by American architect George Bergstrom and built by contractor John McShain. Ground was broken on September 11, 1941, and the
Construction of the Virginia approaches to Arlington Memorial Bridge of Virginia abandoned its plans and agreed to begin work on the northern route for Lee Boulevard. For nearly a year, state and county officials had disagreed whether the northern route rights-of-way were adequate to begin construction. The state disagreed, but Arlington County officials did not wish to spend more money in the depths of the Great Depression to acquire more rights-of-way. By actively reconsidering the southern route, however, the state of Virginia put pressure on Arlington County to fix the rights-of-way problems with the northern route. Agreement to begin construction on the northern route finally was reached on August