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The Pentagon: A History | 
 enlarge | Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Category: EBooks
List Price: $10.00
Buy New: $8.00
You Save: $2.00 (20%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 17433
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 672
Dewey Decimal Number: 355.60973
ASIN: B001A4E2O0
Publication Date: May 27, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
The creation of the Pentagon in seventeen whirlwind months during World War II is one of the great construction feats in American history, involving a tremendous mobilization of manpower, resources, and minds. In astonishingly short order, Brigadier General Brehon B. Somervell conceived and built an institution that ranks with the White House, the Vatican, and a handful of other structures as symbols recognized around the world. Now veteran military reporter Steve Vogel reveals for the first time the remarkable story of the Pentagon's construction, from it's dramatic birth to its rebuilding after the September 11 attack. At the center of the story is the tempestuous but courtly Somervell-"dynamite in a Tiffany box," as he was once described. In July 1941, the Army construction chief sprang the idea of building a single, huge headquarters that could house the entire War Department, then scattered in seventeen buildings around Washington. Somervell ordered drawings produced in one weekend and, despite a firestorm of opposition, broke ground two months later, vowing that the building would be finished in little more than a year. Thousands of workers descended on the site, a raffish Virginia neighborhood known as Hell's Bottom, while an army of draftsmen churned out designs barely one step ahead of their execution. Seven months later the first Pentagon employees skirted seas of mud to move into the building and went to work even as construction roared around them. The colossal Army headquarters helped recast Washington from a sleepy southern town into the bustling center of a reluctant empire. Vivid portraits are drawn of other key figures in the drama, among them Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president who fancied himself an architect; Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall, both desperate for a home for the War Department as the country prepared for battle; Colonel Leslie R. Groves, the ruthless force of nature who oversaw the Pentagon's construction (as well as the Manhattan Project to create an atomic bomb); and John McShain, the charming and dapper builder who used his relationship with FDR to help land himself the contract for the biggest office building in the world. The Pentagon's post-World War II history is told through its critical moments, including the troubled birth of the Department of Defense during the Cold War, the tense days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the tumultuous 1967 protest against the Vietnam War. The pivotal attack on September 11 is related with chilling new detail, as is the race to rebuild the damaged Pentagon, a restoration that echoed the spirit of its creation. This study of a single enigmatic building tells a broader story of modern American history, from the eve of World War II to the new wars of the twenty-first century. Steve Vogel has crafted a dazzling work of military social history that merits comparison with the best works of David Halberstam or David McCullough. Like its namesake, The Pentagon is a true landmark.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Great read! October 1, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
An outstanding book for the history (especially World War II) buff. I worked at the Pentagon for six months in 2006 (in an office a few feet away from the 9/11 attack) and found it to be a fascinating building. Wish that I had been able to read this book before my tour there. Fascinating for engineers or anyone interested in construction. Amazing that this much space could be put under roof in so short a time. The political negotiations that went on in DC to pick the site, fund the construction, etc. are intriguing. Puts design/build in a whole new perspective. Also provides interesting background on some of the racial issues that occurred in the 40s. Highly recommend the book.
A standout March 22, 2008
The Pentagon by Steve Vogel was thrilling to read, as much for its style as its substance. This is an in-depth history of "the building of the building," the problems, the personalities, and the product. It is one of the best books I have read recently. I highly recommend it.
A Magnificent Monument Still March 1, 2008
More like a fast-paced adventure thriller than the narrative history that it is. With bigger than life characters, and the US' entry into WWII as a dramatic backdrop, the story of the sheer scope of the effort is fascinating in its own right. Intended from the start to be a no-nonsense government building, even the building's shape transcended the original location's restrictions to be a serendipitous boon to modern office design and efficiencies. The book has many amazing nuggets, not least being the fact that it was finished in less time than it took to repair the 9/11 damage, using relatively primitive construction technology, and during an increasingly acute labor shortage as the US moved to a war footing. Learning how to manage the project led to many other production successes, including the Manhattan Project. Highly recommended on several levels: An amazing and true story; invaluable lessons in project management; the role of politics and ego; and how amazing things can be accomplished when any group works as a team.
A Terrific Read February 13, 2008
I think it best to keep reviews short. I rate this work five stars. I found it utterly fascinating. Unlike some reviewers, I thought the author did a superb job in portraying the characters involved in the construction and also in handling the historical period involved during the construction. I enjoyed so much all the attention to detail the author provided.
Where There is a Will, There is a Way January 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Steve Vogel has written a fascinating account of how this iconic building was conceived, designed and built. Well written, filled with larger than life characters and detailed descriptions of political infighting in Washington, it is also a history of America's military engagements - from Pearl Harbor and World War II to September 11th and the global war on terror.
This excellent book aptly illustrates the maxim that "where there is a will, there is a way."
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