Pentagon designed for records storage.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: Up front: news, trends & analysis

The Pentagon has served as the United States' military headquarters since the end of World War II, but the 6.6-million-square-foot structure was originally designed for document and records storage--and that may have saved lives when the structure was attacked September 11, 2001.

According to a recent analysis by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the use of reinforced structural steel and other elements engineered into the building, which was initially designed as a solidly built warehouse more than 60 years ago, paid off when a Boeing 757 plowed 310 feet into the Pentagon's west wing corridors at 530...