Alcatraz Building 64

Building 64 on Alcatraz Island as seen from the incoming ferry.

Quick Facts

Amenities

7 listed

Assistive Listening Systems, Assistive Listening Systems - T-Coil Compatible, Captioned Media, Gifts/Souvenirs/Books, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Open Captioning, Theater/Auditorium

Building 64 is located above the dock as soon as you arrive off the ferry. The lower brick portion was part of the fortifications protecting the bay. The large square windows served as cannon ports. The upper levels served as military barracks for the soldiers guarding military prisoners on the island. With the arrival of the Bureau of Prisons the once open barracks, were subdivided into apartments. They housed correctional officers and their families. 

Fortress Alcatraz

For nearly 80 years, Alcatraz island was the site of the first US fortress and military prison on the West Coast. Most prisoners were US military personnel, but some notable exceptions included southern sympathizers during the Civil War, WWI conscientious objectors and Native Americans, beginning in 1873.