Building 64, also known as the Building #64 or the Building 64 Residential Apartments, was the first building constructed on the island of

Alcatraz Alcatraz Island () is a small island about 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco in San Francisco Bay, California, near the Golden Gate Strait. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fo ...

off the coast of

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, USA, entirely for the purpose of accommodating the military officers and their families living on the island. Located next to the

dock The word dock () in American English refers to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore). In British English, the term is not used the same way as in American Engl ...

on the southeastern side of the island below the Warden's House, the three-story apartment block was built in 1905 on the site of a U.S. Army barracks which had been there from the 1860s. It functioned as the Military Guard Barracks from 1906 until 1933. One of its largest apartments in the southwest corner was known as the "Cow Palace" and a nearby alleyway was known as "Chinatown". During Federal prison times from 1934, the building gradually fell into a shabby state, and new quarters were built on the Parade Grounds, but most families arriving on the island stayed in Building 64 until a room in the newer quarters was available. Most of the other residential quarters have since been demolished, but Building 64 remains and has since been renovated. During the

Occupation of Alcatraz The Occupation of Alcatraz (November 20, 1969 – June 11, 1971) was a 19-month long occupation of Alcatraz Island and its prison complex, then classified as abandoned surplus federal land, by 89 American Indians and their supporters. The occ ...

, in 1970 the Native Americans drew graffiti in red around the "United States Penitentiary" sign saying "Indians welcome" and "Indian land". There is a book store on the ground floor on the left side of the building.

Gallery

File:Alcatraz wharf2.jpg, Alcatraz wharf and Building 64 File:Alcatraz Island 03.jpg, Building 64 is the large pillared building on the lower left File:Alcatraz Island - panoramio (3).jpg, Prison sign on building and the Indian graffiti File:Alcatraz aerial.jpg, Building 64 can be seen furthest to the top left

References

{{coord, 37, 49, 36, N, 122, 25, 18, W, type:landmark, display=title Alcatraz Island Government buildings completed in 1905 Residential buildings completed in 1905 1905 establishments in California