Model Industries Building

The Model Industries building or Industries Building is a three/four-story building on the northwest corner of Alcatraz Island off the coast of San Francisco, USA. This building was originally built by the U.S. military and was used as a laundry building until the New Industries Building was built as part of a redevelopment program on Alcatraz in 1939 when it was a federal penitentiary. As part of the Alcatraz jail, it held workshops for inmates to work in.

On January 10, 1935, the building shifted to within 2.5 feet from the edge of the cliff following a landslide caused by a severe storm. The warden at the time, James A. Johnston, proposed to extend the seawall next to it and asked the Bureau for $6500 to fund it. He would later claim to dislike the building because it was irregularly shaped.^[1] A smaller, cheaper riprap was completed by the end of 1935.^[1]

A guard tower and a catwalk from Hill Tower was added to the roof of the Industries Building in June 1936 and the building was made secure with bars from old cells to bar the windows and grill the roof ventilators and to prevent inmates from escaping from the roof.^[1] It ceased use as a laundry in 1939 when it was moved to the upper floor of the New Industries Building. Today the building is heavily rusted due decades of exposure to the salt air and wind and the Hill Tower no longer exists. The guard tower formerly located on top of the building now sits across from the Power plant where it is on display.

Images

The Model Industries Building is the irregularly shaped rusty building on the left corner.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "The History of Alcatraz". Alcatrazhistory.com. Retrieved 31 August 2012.

Alcatraz Island

General

Fort Alcatraz
General McPherson (ship)
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Battle of Alcatraz
June 1962 escape from Alcatraz (book · film)
Occupation of Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island in popular culture

Buildings

Main Cellhouse
Dining Hall
Hospital
Library
Warden's House
Building 64
Former Military Chapel (Bachelor Quarters)
Social Hall
Morgue
New Industries Building
Model Industries Building
Lighthouse
Power House
Water Tower

Grounds

Baker Beach
Little Alcatraz
Recreation Yard
Wharf

Lists

People

Fort commanders	James B. McPherson Joseph Stewart William A. Winder
Wardens	James A. Johnston (1934–1948) Edwin B. Swope (1948–1955) Paul J. Madigan (1955–1961) Olin G. Blackwell (1961–1963)
Associate wardens	Cecil J. Shuttleworth (1934–1937) Edward J. Miller (1937–1947) Paul J. Madigan (1947–1955) Olin G. Blackwell (1959–1961) Arthur M. Dollison (1961–1962) Richard J. Willard (1962–1963)
Notable inmates	Harvey Bailey ("The Dean of American Bank Robbers") Basil Banghart ("The Owl") Arthur Barker ("Doc") Albert L. Bates Joseph Bowers ("Dutch") James Bulger ("Whitey") Al Capone ("Scarface") Meyer Cohen ("Mickey") Theodore Cole ("Ted") Bernard Coy Joseph Cretzer Volney Davis ("Curley") Herbert Farmer ("Deafy") Rufus Franklin John Giles Ellsworth Raymond Johnson ("Bumpy") Alvin Francis Karpavicz ("Creepy Karpis") George Kelly Barnes ("Machine Gun Kelly") Thomas Limerick James Lucas ("Texas Bank Robber") Rafael Cancel Miranda Rufus McCain Rufe Persful Ralph Roe Sam Shockley Robert Stroud ("Birdman of Alcatraz") Henri Young