"Lighthouse over the rubble, Alcatraz," September 2005

Lighthouse over the rubble, Alcatraz

I take a lot of photos of things that are old and decrepit, but when I saw that challenge, Alcatraz is what came to mind first. It must have to do with the islands sordid past, its history as a prison and its remote location subject to the elements in harsh San Francisco Bay. Of all the things I've photographed that I've qualified as ruins, things like the Goddard Mansion in Maine and the Kruger Mansion at High Point, New Jersey, are parks and settings that soften their decrepitude. There were other Alcatraz photos I thought about but then passed over simply because they also had flowers or a view of San Francisco in the background that softened the image.

"Golden Gate Bridge in the fog," September 2005

Golden Gate Bridge in the fog

Is this not iconic or what? The Golden Gate Bridge belongs in the mist.

"Recreation Yard door, Alcatraz," September 2005

Recreation Yard door, Alcatraz

On one side of the door you had the rec yard with its high concrete walls, the ballfield and the open sky above. The brisk San Francisco Bay wind brought the scent of the salt air high above their heads, a promise of what lay beyond.

On the other side of the door in the wall, a view. The Golden Gate Bridge in the distance, straight ahead. The city of San Francisco to the left, Sausalito, Berkeley and Oakland around to the right. The cool, blue, churning waters down the steps and the rocks below. Tempting, for sure.

"Library at Alcatraz," September 2005

Library at Alcatraz, September 2005

The windows must have been a tantalizing tease. Out beyond them was the blue San Francisco Bay. When the fog rolled in, it might have been a blessing. Outside those windows was nothing but a depthless gray, no blue water, no hills of Frisco to remind those inside what they were missing. The fog could turn the sparkling world beyond the bars into black and white.

Ruins of Alcatraz, September 2005

The Rock is old. From a military outpost to a prison to a tourist attraction, it now sits in a dichotomous state of preserved decay. While the cell block remains intact and safe for visitors, much of the rest of the island slowly crumbles, vegetation overtaking the concrete, wind rounding off the rough edges, the outpost in San Francisco Bay as dangerous today as it was to its prisoners in the past, only in a different way.

The Rock is trying to regain its past.

Escapee's cell, Alcatraz, September 2005

In 1962, three prisoners successfully made their way out of the cell block and off of Alcatraz Island. They're the only three to attempt an escape and not be apprehended, and though they never turned up onshore and their bodies have never been recovered, they are still considered fugitives. Although the prisoners did not disguise themselves in order to escape, they disguised their cells to make it appear as though they were sleeping, allowing them the time they needed to reach the waters of San Francisco Bay and make their way to freedom.