Unseen Alcatraz
Photos by Park Technician John Martini
National Park Service 1974
Collection of Golden Gate National Recreation Area

John Martini (now Curator of Military History at the San Francisco Presidio) took these photos of the Alcatraz underground and solitary confinement unit shortly after the island was opened as a park in 1974. At that time, the Park Service planned to offer tours of the Cell House for only a couple of years before demolishing all structures to make way for some kind of Statue of Liberty West. The former prison proved immensely popular and, today, is one of the Park Service's most visited attractions.

Most of the areas depicted below are now closed to the public.

MAGAZINE.JPG Army Era Magazine	BASEMENT.JPG Beneath the Cell House
DUNGEON.JPG Casemates Used as Dungeon	BOARD.JPG Solitary Crude Calendar