WJE logo
Projects San Francisco, California

Alcatraz Cellhouse
Structural Stabilization and Seismic Upgrade

The prison was closed in 1963 by Attorney General Robert Kennedy, due to skyrocketing maintenance costs. By the late 1990s, severe deterioration and questions regarding its seismic integrity prompted the National Park Service to seek WJE's assistance in evaluating the Cellhouse. WJE developed seismic upgrades that addressed concerns regarding public safety.

CLIENT
National Park Service

STRUCTURE
The Alcatraz Cellhouse was once the end of the line for the nation's most notorious prisoners as the premier maximum security penitentiary in the nation. The Cellhouse, completed in 1912, is one of the earliest reinforced concrete buildings in the Bay Area. One of the most prominent landmarks in San Francisco, it now receives over one million visitors annually. The Cellhouse is a contributor to the National Historic District at Alcatraz.

SCOPE OF SERVICE

Condition survey, including unusual tasks such as the inspection of unreinforced masonry underground water cisterns, and grenade and rifle damage from a 1946 prison takeover

Inspection openings to verify selected details of construction

State-of-the-art corrosion testing and laboratory testing of reinforced concrete

Performance-based seismic evaluation and seismic strengthening design

Schematic design, design development, and construction documents (drawings and specifications)

Construction administration and related services

  SOLUTION
Design for the following repairs:

Proposed a variety of conceptual seismic designs to address various performance objectives, such as life-safety and damage reduction in the event of a major earthquake

Proposed repairs for corrosion-related distress to structural elements

Performed a value analysis that led to the selection of a life-safety performance seismic upgrade design

 
e-mail this page
download PDF



RELATED PROJECTS

STRUCTURE

Governmental

SERVICE
Earthquake Engineering
Historic Preservation
Materials Evaluation and Research
Repair and Rehabilitation
Structural Evaluation

 

ABOUT | SERVICES | PROJECTS | CAREERS | NEWS | CONTACT | SEARCH | SITEMAP | TERMS OF USE | HOME
FACADE ORDINANCE.COM | CHINESE DRYWALL WJE.COM


Ask the Structure and Solutions for the Built World are trademarks of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., Northbrook, Illinois
© 2004-10 Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.