Book: ‘Alcatraz: History and Design of a Landmark’

Donald MacDonald, FAIA, the first architect to work on the Golden Gate Bridge since its original construction, now turns his attention to another San Francisco architectural landmark, albeit in book form. Alcatraz: History and Design of a Landmark, co-authored by Ira Nadel, tells the history of the architecture that imprisoned some of America’s most dangerous convicts. In 1850, the Rock’s history began as a military fortress, similar in style to Fort Sumner in Charleston, S.C. But only nine years later, the fort held its first prisoners in the basement, and 11 years later, it became the U.S. Army’s first long-term prison. As of today, the island holds a variety of architectural styles designed to serve the prison complex: Victorian-style officers quarters and lighthouse, a mission-revival chapel and morgue, and the federal-style cellblock. • $16.95; Chronicle Books, February 2012