The Pentagon Memorial has 184 illuminated benches, one bench for each innocent person who died on September 11, 2001 when terrorists hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 and crashed the plane into the Pentagon building in Arlington Virginia, near Washington DC. (The terrorists themselves are not included in the death count.)
Set in a 1.93 acre lot with clusters of Paperbark Mable trees, the benches rise up out of the ground to form flowing, unbroken lines with pools of light radiating from underneath. The benches are arranged according to the victim's ages, from 3 to 71, and face the flight pattern of the fallen plane.
The Pentagon Memorial was designed by architects Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman of Kaseman Beckman Amsterdam Studio New York City, with design support from Buro Happold.