The warden's house commanded the island. An
impressive Mission Revival-style home, it had seventeen
large rooms, and windows framing sweeping
views of the Golden Gate and the lights of San
Francisco. Built in the 1920s, it was originally the
home of the military prison commandant.
When Alcatraz became a federal penitentiary,
James A. Johnston was the first of four Bureau of
Prisons wardens to occupy it. Ornamental gardens
were planted in terraced areas, and a greenhouse
attached to one side of the house was used to grow a
variety of delicate and colorful plants. A trusted
inmate served as both gardener and "houseboy" to
the warden's family.In 1970, fire swept through the abandoned building,
leaving the shell you see today. Red valerian and
other plants now carpet the building's foundation
with color in the spring, and outside the walls,
untended roses bloom and fade each season.
