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
