Building 64, Residential building on Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, US.
Building 64 is a rectangular residential structure on the eastern side of Alcatraz Island with plain architectural features and simple interior rooms. The structure overlooks San Francisco Bay and contains furnished spaces that reflect modest living quarters.
This residential building served prison staff and their families from 1934 until the federal penitentiary closed in 1963. After the facility shut down, the National Park Service took over and preserved it as part of the island's history.
The structure reveals how prison staff and their families lived ordinary lives on the island while working at a maximum security facility. Inside, you notice the simple furnishings and domestic spaces that stood in contrast to the prison's harsh operations.
The building is open to visitors during regular Alcatraz Island tour hours and lets you step inside the actual living spaces from that period. The rooms are compact and the structure shows its age, so comfortable shoes and time to move slowly through the interior are recommended.
This was one of the few places on the island where the prison operations were hidden from view and staff families could maintain a sense of normalcy away from the facility. The simple furnishings reveal how differently employees and their families experienced island life compared to the prison's grim environment.
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