page_title: Main Navy and Munitions Buildings
hierarchical_section_title: Main Navy and Munitions Buildings
caption_attribution_description: English: Main Navy Building (foreground) and the Munitions Building were temporary structures built during World War I on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The buildings remained in use for several decades, and the Secretary of War was headquartered in the Munitions Building from 1936 until the Pentagon opened in 1943.
context_page_description: The Main Navy and Munitions Buildings were constructed in 1918 along Constitution Avenue on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall, to provide temporary quarters for the United States Military. Both buildings were constructed by the Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks, with the United States Department of War occupying the Munitions Building. To make the buildings more resistant to fire, the buildings were constructed using concrete. With solid construction, the temporary buildings remained in use long after the end of World War I.
  In August 1939, the Secretary of War relocated his offices from the overcrowded State-War-Navy Building to the Munitions Building. The Department of War headquarters remained in the Munitions Building, through the early years of World War II, until 1942, when some space became available in the Pentagon, which was under construction. The Munitions Building was turned over to the Navy in 1943, when the Department of War completely vacated the Munitions Building once construction of the Pentagon was completed.
  Both buildings suffered serious structural problems in the 1960s.
context_section_description: The Main Navy and Munitions Buildings were constructed in 1918 along Constitution Avenue (then known as B Street) on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall (Potomac Park), to provide temporary quarters for the United States Military.  Both buildings were constructed by the Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks, with the United States Department of War occupying the Munitions Building.  To make the buildings more resistant to fire, the buildings were constructed using concrete.  With solid construction, the temporary buildings remained in use long after the end of World War I.  
  In August 1939, the Secretary of War relocated his offices from the overcrowded State-War-Navy Building (Old Executive Office Building) to the Munitions Building. The Department of War headquarters remained in the Munitions Building, through the early years of World War II, until 1942, when some space became available in the Pentagon, which was under construction.  The Munitions Building was turned over to the Navy in 1943, when the Department of War completely vacated the Munitions Building once construction of the Pentagon was completed.
  Both buildings suffered serious structural problems in the 1960s.  In December 1969, President Richard Nixon announced that both buildings would be demolished, a plan which was carried out in 1970.  The land was then reclaimed and turned into Constitution Gardens, with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial built near the former Munitions Building site in the early 1980s.
caption: Main Navy Building (foreground) and the Munitions Building were temporary structures built during World War I on the National Mall
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