Core77

The building's shape was obvious to the architect. Or did they not do a "top view" when drawing it out? Nah, probably not. It was 1967, I don't think they even had "top view" then.

Isn't this being a little too sensitive? I can see if a series of buildings spelled out some anti-semitic saying, but this seems pretty benign. Plus, if we're trying to erase Nazism from our collective memory (which may not be a good idea) then we should probably stop going crazy when we see things that look like its symbols.

Get something else better to do with your time you Moveon.org zombie.

Nick, "top" view is referred to as a "plan" view by an architect. Additionally, any orthographic side views are called "elevations." And yes, architects were capable of drawing a whole building from any angle in 1967.

Oh for pity's sake.

Yes the Nazis were awful, but this building is not going to transform ala Megatron and nerve gas the local Synagogues.

$600,000 is not a small sum and could be spent on far more meaningful and helpful projects. (I will concede in terms of military spending it is a drop in the ocean).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

I like it, don't ask me why..its obvious the government knew about it and didn't change it because I think they like it to.

With all the hype over the swastika building let's not over look the "Nazi S S" buildings just to the west on the same naval base. (Still Looking For Hitlers Bunker).
K.R.Bayes

lat/lng: 32�41'53.09"N, 117�11'13.78"W (Google Earth)

And in India...

File this under the 'faces on mars' category. Shame on the Anti-Defamation League for forcing the goverment to waste tax-payers money - again.

I'm on the fence about this one. There surely must have been some sort of sensitvity in post-WWII America. To have a building constructed by the US military using the misappropriated symbol which defined years of oppression and atrocity is just, well, awkward.

Then again, we look at any number of maps in Asia to see the swastika in reverse, indicating Buddhist (or is it Shinto) temples. After all, the symbol DID have an entirely different meaning before being adopted by Hitler.

thanks for wasting $600,000 of taxpayer money for something that is unintentional [they interviewed the architech] and can only be seen from a view that is almost never seen. On the ground they are just L shaped buildings. It is just a symetrical shape with no evil intent. It is not connected in the middle either. Can't anyone think of a better use of $600,000? Political correctness is wasting money that could go to medical care for wounded soldiers or any other gov't program.

Seems to me like the architect was mostly concerned about modularity (cost) and efficient use of space. It is a government building, right? Besides, it's not really a 'Nazi' swastika unless it's angled 45 degrees, which in this case wouldn't be such without re-orienting the image. Much ado about nothing.

The level of which this incident may be viewed is extreme on so many metaphorical levels. In particular, the fact that the building was made over 40 years ago and now is being noticed on a wide scale level today through the advent of technology is empowering. It is a powerful example of mass communications ability to provide public awareness to things that were once "out of view". Even more so, it is not to be suprising that only after public outrage that officials are reacting.

"didn't have a top view"? WTF????? They built it from like a picture in their head right? Like sideways- or just randomly not with any plan so whatever, it just emerged that way right????