Name and Location

The Alcatraz Island Lighthouse, also recorded historically as the United States Coast Guard Lighthouse on Alcatraz Island, is located at Unnamed Road, Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA. The neighborhood/municipality is Belvedere Tiburon / Tiburon (for plus-code “RHGH+F4 Belvedere Tiburon, Tiburon, CA, USA”), and the county/region is San Francisco County, California, United States. The coordinates are 37°49′34.43″ N, 122°25′19.74″ W (decimal: 37.8262314, –122.42215). You can find it on Google Maps at https://www.google.com/maps?q=37.8262314,-122.42215.

2. Construction and History

The present tower was first lit in 1909, replacing an 1854 wooden lighthouse—the first on the U.S. West Coast. The new tower is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Alcatraz Island Historic District (National Historic Landmark). It is managed by the U.S. Coast Guard (light) and the National Park Service (site).

3. Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse was designed by U.S. Lighthouse Board engineers (no single architect named), with an early-20th-century utilitarian steel-reinforced concrete tower featuring classical proportions. The materials used are reinforced concrete for the tower on a masonry foundation, with a height of 26 m (approximately 85 ft) above base and a focal height of approximately 37 m (121 ft) above mean sea level.

4. Light and Navigation

The original lens was a second-order Fresnel lens (removed), replaced by a marine-type rotating beacon after automation in 1963. The light characteristic is flashing white, once every 15 seconds [Fl W 15 s], with a nominal range of approximately 15 nautical miles. The lighthouse continues as an active aid to navigation marking the west end of Alcatraz Island.

5. Accessibility and Visiting

Alcatraz Island is open daily (tours depart Pier 33, San Francisco) except December 25. The lighthouse tower interior is closed to the public; visitors may view the tower and its keeper’s duplex from exterior walkways. Nearby facilities include a visitor center, restrooms, gift shop, and self-guided cellhouse audio tours. Admission is included with Alcatraz Cruises ticket (roundtrip ferry plus island admission). Advance reservations strongly recommended.

6. Notable Views and Landscape

The lighthouse sits near the highest point of rocky Alcatraz Island, offering 360° views of San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, and Angel Island. The surrounding terrain includes former military fortifications, cellhouse ruins, gardens, and tidal pools.

7. Anecdotes and Folklore

Rumored to be haunted—many ghost-hunting groups cite the lighthouse grounds in tales of “prison spirits.” Speculation suggests that early keepers assisted in guarding high-profile inmates; no documented incidents of keeper-inmate conflict survive.

8. Technical and Operational Details

Automation coincided with prison closure (1963), ending on-site keeper residency. The lighthouse survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake with only minor cracking in the concrete. It is maintained remotely by the U.S. Coast Guard’s 11th District.

9. Further Information

For further information, refer to Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Island_Lighthouse and Wikidata at Q4712967. You can also consult the U.S. Coast Guard Light List, Volume VII (Pacific Coast), National Park Service: Alcatraz Island Historic District Nomination Form, and NOAA Chart 18649 (San Francisco Bay: North).