16th Street Station
Encyclopedia
The 16th Street Station is one of three original train stations that served Oakland, California
at the start of the 20th century. The building was designed by architect Jarvis Hunt
who was a preeminent train station architect at that time and the facility opened in 1912. For many decades, the 16th Street Station was a major railroad station of the Southern Pacific
railroad in Oakland as well as local commuter services such as the East Bay Electric Lines
via elevated platforms. It was a companion (or "city station") for the Oakland Terminal, which was located two miles away on the Oakland Pier. The Terminal, also known as the "Mole", was demolished in 1960, leaving the 16th Street Station as the major Oakland rail hub. It suffered significant damage in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake
and was closed. Its railroad function has since been replaced by the major Amtrak
station
in nearby Emeryville
.
The station is located in West Oakland
at 16th and Wood Streets, adjacent to and visible from the Interstate 880
connector ramps of the MacArthur Maze
. The station buildings remain, largely intact, including the switchman's tower and ironwork elevated platforms which, before the completion of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, were utilized by commuter trains of SP's East Bay Electric Lines
.
The station was purchased in 2005 by BUILD, an affiliate of BRIDGE Housing, is being restored as part of a local redevelopment project and will not be used as a railroad station again. The tracks of the Southern Pacific (now Union Pacific) main line were moved westward in the 1990s and today run on the other side of I-880, leaving the station isolated.
The station was used in a scene of the film Funny Lady
.
The original 16th Street depot was a smaller wood structure, built at a time when the site was on the shoreline of San Francisco Bay. In the intervening years, the shoreline was filled in and now lies nearly a mile west.
Passenger train access in Oakland is now via the Jack London Square station
, the Coliseum station
, and the nearby Emeryville station
.
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
at the start of the 20th century. The building was designed by architect Jarvis Hunt
Jarvis Hunt
Jarvis Hunt was a "renowned Chicago architect" who designed a wide array of buildings, including train stations, suburban estates, industrial buildings, clubhouses and other structures....
who was a preeminent train station architect at that time and the facility opened in 1912. For many decades, the 16th Street Station was a major railroad station of the Southern Pacific
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
railroad in Oakland as well as local commuter services such as the East Bay Electric Lines
East Bay Electric Lines
The East Bay Electric Lines were a unit of the Southern Pacific Railroad which operated a system of electric interurban-type trains in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
via elevated platforms. It was a companion (or "city station") for the Oakland Terminal, which was located two miles away on the Oakland Pier. The Terminal, also known as the "Mole", was demolished in 1960, leaving the 16th Street Station as the major Oakland rail hub. It suffered significant damage in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake
Loma Prieta earthquake
The Loma Prieta earthquake, also known as the Quake of '89 and the World Series Earthquake, was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. local time...
and was closed. Its railroad function has since been replaced by the major Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
station
Emeryville (Amtrak station)
The Emeryville Amtrak station is an Amtrak station in Emeryville, California that replaced the older Amtrak 16th Street Station in Oakland. The original Beaux-Arts Oakland 16th Street Station was declared unsafe due to unreinforced masonry after sustaining damage in the Loma Prieta Earthquake of...
in nearby Emeryville
Emeryville, California
Emeryville is a small city located in Alameda County, California, in the United States. It is located in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, extending to the shore of San Francisco Bay. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and...
.
The station is located in West Oakland
West Oakland, Oakland, California
West Oakland is a neighborhood situated in the northwestern corner of Oakland, California along the waterfront near the Port of Oakland and San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge. It lies at an elevation of 13 feet .-History:...
at 16th and Wood Streets, adjacent to and visible from the Interstate 880
Interstate 880
Interstate 880 is an Interstate Highway in the San Francisco Bay Area connecting San Jose and Oakland, running parallel to the southeastern shore of San Francisco Bay...
connector ramps of the MacArthur Maze
MacArthur Maze
The MacArthur Maze refers to the large freeway interchange located near the eastern end of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge in Oakland, California and is the largest freeway interchange in the world...
. The station buildings remain, largely intact, including the switchman's tower and ironwork elevated platforms which, before the completion of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, were utilized by commuter trains of SP's East Bay Electric Lines
East Bay Electric Lines
The East Bay Electric Lines were a unit of the Southern Pacific Railroad which operated a system of electric interurban-type trains in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
.
The station was purchased in 2005 by BUILD, an affiliate of BRIDGE Housing, is being restored as part of a local redevelopment project and will not be used as a railroad station again. The tracks of the Southern Pacific (now Union Pacific) main line were moved westward in the 1990s and today run on the other side of I-880, leaving the station isolated.
The station was used in a scene of the film Funny Lady
Funny Lady
Funny Lady is a 1975 film starring Barbra Streisand, James Caan, Omar Sharif, Roddy McDowall, and Ben Vereen.A sequel to the 1968 film Funny Girl, it is a highly fictionalized account of the later life and career of comedienne Fanny Brice and her marriage to songwriter and empresario Billy Rose...
.
The original 16th Street depot was a smaller wood structure, built at a time when the site was on the shoreline of San Francisco Bay. In the intervening years, the shoreline was filled in and now lies nearly a mile west.
Passenger train access in Oakland is now via the Jack London Square station
Oakland – Jack London Square (Amtrak station)
Oakland is an Amtrak station located in downtown Oakland, California. Opened in 1994, the building is located at 245 Second Street in Oakland, it is served by the Capitol Corridor, Coast Starlight, and San Joaquins trains...
, the Coliseum station
Oakland Coliseum Amtrak/BART Station
The Oakland Coliseum Station is a complex of two stations of two public transit providers that are within of each other: Amtrak Capitol Corridors Oakland Coliseum station and Bay Area Rapid Transit 's Coliseum/Oakland Airport station...
, and the nearby Emeryville station
Emeryville (Amtrak station)
The Emeryville Amtrak station is an Amtrak station in Emeryville, California that replaced the older Amtrak 16th Street Station in Oakland. The original Beaux-Arts Oakland 16th Street Station was declared unsafe due to unreinforced masonry after sustaining damage in the Loma Prieta Earthquake of...
.
External links
- Bay Area Rail Fan
- Katherine Westerhout, photographer KQED Spark! episode on 16th Street Station, April 1, 2009, including interior views of station.