Saturday, February 02, 2008

Alcatraz's Spooky & Abandoned

Former officer's club when Alcatraz was a military base. The upper floor had a barbershop and cafeteria and the lower floor had a gymnasium and 2 bowling alleys. It was burned down in 1970.


The doors to the left of this spooky hallway lead to a huge room that was showing a film about Alcatraz. The doors to the right led to a small museum area.


This is the same hallway looking beyond the barrier in the 2nd photo.


This is the "Model Industries Building" built in 1922. It served as a rehabilitation center where prisoners learned vocational trades such as blacksmithing, furniture-making, hat & shoe making, ..etc.


This is an old side door leading to the prison's laundry facility.


- AV

19 comments:

ANNA-LYS said...

That beautiful pic's of an ugly place
:-)

Isadora said...

I'm with Anna-lys! It must be stunning looking around there but to me it is a depressing thought.

They did have the right idea with the Model Industries thought and it should be more of what prisons are about. Yes, it would cost money but it could be run for profit and in the long run it would pay for itself as it would have the potential to rehabilitate a percentage of those going through it.

Lynette said...

You have some great photos here. My favorites are the--well, they're all very good!

Yes, the youngsters could take public transportation to visit Mama and/or Duncan at the apartment. They do that some of the time. In general to go just about everywhere, they're riding those bicycles, with helmets and lights and their brains engaged in looking out for vehicles and drivers not looking out for them. It's a lifestyle choice for them.

dot said...

I bet some parts of that place are very creepy!

Andrea said...

I love OLD pleaces. I think they make the best pictures.

kml said...

You can almost hear and see the ghosts in your photos - very creepy! Good job capturing the essence of the place.

Luis said...

Very good photos of this ancient place.

Lilli & Nevada said...

I just love looking at these photos, I don't remember parts of this because it was back in the 70's that we saw it.

Fénix - Bostonscapes said...

That door is striking.

crpitt said...

Excellent photos, you have made me want to go!

AVCr8teur said...

Thanks everyone for your comments! The place is a little spooky and I definitely don't want to be there at night. Glad I was able to bring back some memories for those of you who have been there before and entice those of you to visit SF if you haven't been here before. And, yes, I like that green door too!

lina said...

I feel the sense of abandonment and loneliness looking at these photos.

Unknown said...

I saw the movie Escape from Ancatraz.

Lynda Lehmann said...

Very good photos--full of the drama and angst of such a place. They remind me of the King's Park hospital grounds on Long Island!

Anonymous said...

Hi!

Nice photos. I especially like the top one. The window grills looked ghostly. I'm an amateur photog too, just playing around with my basic kodak cam. I think I'll gonna start my own photo blog. You and KML are inspiring. :D

AVCr8teur said...

Lina: That was exactly the feeling I was going for, but it wasn't too hard at such a vintage place.

kbguy: It has been awhile, but I should watch that movie again.

Lynda: Thanks! I've never heard about the King's Hospital, but I've googled it and it looks like a cool place to photograph.

Bong: I would love to see your photos. You have a good eye. I was trying to go for that look of an abandoned building through a fence. Your compliment means a lot to me!

MYM said...

wow! That is amazing, but spooky like ya said. Fantastic photos.

Dunn said...

It's an interesting collection of photos with the interesting adventure as well.

AVCr8teur said...

DrowseyMonkey/Dunn: It was quite a spooky adventure at times. Not a place to visit at night. :)