Alcatraz, also known as “The Rock,” is set to get a $48.6 million makeover, after the National Park Service signed a deal with construction firm Tutor Perini for the Alcatraz Island Historic Structures Stabilization and Rehabilitation Project.
The initiative in the San Francisco Bay area focuses on renovating and refurbishing the aging Alcatraz main prison building. The efforts will tackle the building’s exterior and interior issues, which have arisen due to long-term wear and tear and structural weaknesses.
The renovation plan includes removing hazardous materials from the outer walls and areas inside that are set for construction, fixing deteriorated parts of the concrete, replacing rusted steel supports, strengthening the base of concrete foundation walls that are currently without reinforcement, and repairing and securing external windows, as well as adding protective storm windows.
This work aims to bolster the building’s structural integrity, particularly its resistance to earthquakes, and to ensure the safety and well-being of the 1.4 million visitors and employees who come to the site each year.
Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay is the home of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Now a museum, the prison is managed by the U.S. National Park Service.
Robert Alexander/Getty Images
Tutor Perini, the firm in charge of the renovations, say work is expected to begin this month with substantial completion anticipated by the summer of 2027.
In 1909, the U.S. Army demolished the original fortress on the island to construct a military prison, known as the Pacific Branch, U.S. Disciplinary Barracks. This prison later became famous as “The Rock.”
In 1933, the island was transferred to the U.S. Department of Justice, and Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was established in 1934 to house the most incorrigible inmates from federal prisons.
Alcatraz’s list of inmates includes some of the most well-known criminals in American history. Among its most notorious were:
- Al Capone: Perhaps the most famous of all, Chicago mobster Al Capone was sent to Alcatraz in 1934 for tax evasion. He spent his last year at Alcatraz in the prison hospital before being released in 1939 due to deteriorating health.
- George ‘Machine Gun Kelly’ Barnes: Arrested for his involvement in the kidnapping of oil tycoon Charles Urschel, ‘Machine Gun Kelly’ was transferred to Alcatraz in 1934. He was a model prisoner, earning the nickname “Pop Gun Kelly” from fellow inmates. He spent 17 years at Alcatraz before being transferred back to Leavenworth, where he died of a heart attack in 1954.
- James ‘Whitey’ Bulger: A Boston mob boss, Bulger was incarcerated at Alcatraz from 1959 to 1962 for armed robbery. After Alcatraz, he returned to his life of crime and was a fugitive for 16 years before being captured and sentenced to life in prison.
From left to right: Capone, Barnes (a.k.a. “Machine Gun Kelly) and Bulger. They all had a spell in Alcatraz.
Donaldson Collection / adoc-photos/Getty Images
Alcatraz closed as a federal penitentiary on March 21, 1963, due to high operating costs and its deteriorating facilities.
In 1972, Alcatraz became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, managed by the National Park Service. It opened to the public in 1973 and has since become one of San Francisco’s most popular tourist attractions, drawing over a million visitors annually.
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