National Park Service

Stories

Alcatraz Island to close for three weeks while ferry dock gets final repairs

Manages Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Island will close to visitors from Oct. 26 to Nov. 18, 2026, as crews replace the last two pilings supporting the ferry dock. It's the third closure this year for the park, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Updated Sep 29

The White House ballroom rush hits court: preservationists ask judge to freeze Trump’s build

Built World

Named as a defendant; implicated in federal property and historic-site process

At a January 22 hearing on the National Trust's preliminary injunction request, Judge Richard Leon signaled deep skepticism about Trump's authority to tear down "an icon that's a national institution" using $400 million in private donations. Leon called the funding mechanism a "Rube Goldberg contraption" and is expected to rule in February; Trump declared on Truth Social that "IT IS TOO LATE" to stop the project, claiming structural steel, marble, and bulletproof glass are already lined up.

Updated May 15