The World of the CIA

The CIA’s Original Headquarters Building is depicted during a snow storm. The building was designed in the mid-1950s by the New York firm Harrison and Abramovitz. The designers followed the vision of former DCI Allen Dulles, who dreamed of a place where intelligence officers could work in a college campus-like atmosphere. He also wanted this secure and secluded environment to be close to US policymakers. (Langley is 13 km (8 mi) outside of downtown Washington.) OHB’s cornerstone was laid on 3 November 1959. Construction was completed in March 1961. OHB consists of 130,000 sq m (1,400,000 sq ft) of space. OHB and its companion, New Headquarters Building, sit on 104 hectares (258 acres) of land.

The CIA’s Original Headquarters Building was designed in the mid-1950s by the New York firm Harrison and Abramovitz. The designers followed the vision of former DCI Allen Dulles, who dreamed of a place where intelligence officers could work in a college campus-like atmosphere. He also wanted this secure and secluded environment to be close to US policymakers. (Langley is 13 km (8 mi) outside of downtown Washington.)

The CIA’s Original Headquarters Building (OHB) in the spring. A number of magnificent magnolia trees grace the CIA campus.

The Memorial Wall on the north side of the Original Headquarters Building lobby stands as a silent, simple memorial to those CIA officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Among the stars, an inscription reads: “In honor of those members of the Central Intelligence Agency who gave their lives in the service of their country.” The Memorial Wall was commissioned by the CIA Fine Arts Commission in May 1973 and sculpted by Harold Vogel in July 1974.

There are 139 stars carved into the marble of the CIA Memorial Wall as of 2022. Inclusion on the Memorial Wall is awarded posthumously to employees who lose their lives while serving their country in the field of intelligence. Death may occur in a foreign field or in the United States.

The Honor and Merit Awards Board (HMAB) recommends approval of the nomination to the CIA Director if it meets the following selection criteria:

Death must be of an inspirational or heroic character while in the performance of duty; or as the result of an act of terrorism while in the performance of duty; or as an act of premeditated violence targeted against an employee, motivated solely by that employee’s Agency affiliation; or in the performance of duty while serving in areas of hostilities or other exceptionally hazardous conditions where the death is a direct result of such hostilities or hazards.

The HMAB reviews the circumstances surrounding the death of an employee and makes its recommendation to the DCIA for final approval. Once approved by the DCIA, the Office of Protocol arranges placement of the star on the Memorial Wall.

A stone carver creates a star by first tracing the new star on the wall using a template. Each star measures 2-1/4 inches tall by 2-1/4 inches wide and half an inch deep; all the stars are six inches apart from each other, as are all the rows. The stone carver uses both a pneumatic air hammer and a chisel to carve out the traced pattern. After carving the star, the stone carver cleans the dust and sprays the star black, which as the star ages, fades to gray. The current stone carver is part of a lineage who learned this craft from the Memorial Wall’s original sculptor, Harold Vogel.

The new star is officially unveiled at the CIA’s annual Memorial Ceremony.

The Statue of Liberty Mural in the Original Headquarters Building. The two-sentence quote can almost be regarded as the Agency’s mission statement: “We are the nation’s first line of defense. We accomplish what others cannot accomplish and go where others cannot go.”

As part of its 75th anniversary celebrations in 2022, the CIA unveiled a statue of Harriet Tubman outside the main entrance to the Auditorium and opposite the Nathan Hale statue. The Harriet Tubman monument is a copy of the sculpture erected in 2018 at the Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn, NY, the town where Tubman lived until her death in 1913.

The bronze figure represents a young Harriet Tubman traveling the Underground Railroad extending her left hand behind her signaling an invisible group to follow her on the arduous route to Canada while her right hand holds a lantern illuminating the path to freedom. Tubman’s work with the Underground Railroad not only freed some 70 slaves, but also provided critical intelligence to the Union Army on Confederate forces during the Civil War. The statue recognizes her service to the country and the example she set for intelligence professionals.

These are some of the koi that live in the pond in the Memorial Garden located on a hillside between the Original Headquarters Building and the Auditorium. It is one of several memorials on the CIA compound (including the Office of Strategic Services Memorial and the CIA Memorial Wall). The garden is a memorial to all deceased intelligence officers and contractors who served their country.

The Headquarters Auditorium, called the “Bubble” by Agency employees, got its nickname for its bubble- or igloo-like shape. The auditorium was part of the CIA Headquarters design in the mid-1950s. The Bubble is the largest conference area at the CIA. It measures 650 sq m (7,000 sq ft) of floor space, can accommodate 470 people, and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The auditorium is equipped with the latest in multi-media equipment, including side and rear lighting that accommodates color television cameras and motion picture filming. The Bubble is home to special events, prominent speakers, and large conferences.

In developing this monument, the CIA Fine Arts Commission decided on five precepts for its placement: prominence, pedestrian orientation, a sense of the wall as an obstacle, an “unromantic presentation,” and a measure of contemplation. The Wall is located near the southwest entrance to the Original Headquarters Building. It was dedicated on 18 December 1992. A bronze plaque near the Wall reads, “These three sections of reinforced concrete were removed from the Berlin Wall near Checkpoint Charlie at Potsdamer Platz in November 1989.”

The monument is oriented as it was in Berlin — the west side painted with graffiti and the east side whitewashed. The west side of the Wall is covered with graffiti that reflects the color, hope and optimism of the West itself. In stark contrast, the east side of the wall is plain and devoid of color and life. The Wall is located in the middle of a path so that it must be confronted directly — just as it was for nearly three decades by the citizens of Berlin. On both sides of the Wall is a bench- height wall where employees can sit and view the three segments and contemplate their history.

By the early 1980s, it was clear that the Agency needed to expand beyond the Original Headquarters Building. By this time, there was a need for an additional building and more parking. Smith, Hinchman, and Grylls Associates presented a design that was functional for the Agency’s needs and would blend in with the existing OHB structure.

The final design is two, six-story office towers built into a hillside behind OHB. The New Headquarters Building is linked to the OHB building in a seamless blend of the two structures. The main entrance to NHB is on the fourth floor. Inside the entrance, one is greeted by a huge skylight ceiling and, at the end of the entry corridor, a spectacular view of the OHB.

The groundbreaking ceremony for NHB took place on 24 May 1984; the building was completed by March 1991.

James Sanborn’s sculpture “Kryptos” begins at the entrance to the New Headquarters Building and continues in the northwest corner of the New Headquarters Building courtyard.

The theme of this sculpture is “intelligence gathering.” Dedicated on 3 November 1990, Kryptos incorporates materials native to the United States. A piece of petrified wood supports a large S-shaped copper screen that looks like a piece of paper coming out of a computer printer. On the “paper” are inscribed several enigmatic messages, each written in a different code. The sculpture continues to be a source of pleasure and mystery for Agency employees, with a few taking the challenge to “break the code.”

“Kryptos” © Copyright 1988 James Sanborn. All rights reserved.

James Sanborn’s sculpture “Kryptos,” as pictured in the spring, begins at the entrance to the New Headquarters Building and continues in the northwest corner of the New Headquarters Building courtyard.

“Kryptos” © Copyright 1988 James Sanborn. All rights reserved.

To view more photos of the CIA compound, visit CIA Sites to See and Explore CIA Headquarters.